


Daughter of the moon.

by Yolo0312



Series: Daughter of the moon. [1]
Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Besties Aidou and Zero, Does it count as underaged drinking when they're vampires?, Drug Abuse, F/M, Female Kiryuu Zero, How Do I Tag, I suck at summaries and even worse at tagging, If You Squint - Freeform, Kaname is an asshole, Minor Aidou Hanabusa/Kiryuu Zero, Minor Cross Yuuki/Kuran Kaname, Minor Kiryuu Zero/Kiryuu Ichiru, Minor Kiryuu Zero/Takamiya Kaito, Night class Zero, OC, Possessive Behavior, Pureblood Vampire Kiryuu Zero, Somewhere along the way Yuuki became a bitch, Vampire hunters are a paranoid bunch, but becomes better, hidden weapons, minor incest, trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 02:14:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 189,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18907441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yolo0312/pseuds/Yolo0312
Summary: There was not a sound that disturbed the silence, no animal brave enough to navigate the mist that caressed the forest floor and towered over the tree tops. Only contracted beings dared to venture inside the forest that had killed many even without the fog that did not use to be there before, knowing their contractors would not allow them to get lost in the forest that hummed with power. Power that responded to only one person who could command both the trees and the mist at will on a level that had not been witnessed since the ancestors.





	1. Awakening.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for giving this story a try! I hope you like it.  
> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and grammar mistakes.

The forest was eerily  quiet, surrounded by a thick  fog that weaved through the trees, too dense to look through. Hidden away  from the world, a mansion stood in the middle of the forest. The mansion was made entirely of wood, raised off the ground with a porch  running all the way around the building. Of the hundred people who used to live  in the mansion, only two remained. The two last servants  of the only living owner of the mansion, a last gift passed down from mother to daughter. A safe haven  for the young pureblood to awaken in peace and in the presence  of the last loyal servants to her blood. The young pureblood in question stood outside on the porch,  a s t atue taking in her surroundings. 

There was not a sound that disturbed the silence, no animal brave enough to navigate the mist that caressed the forest floor and towered over the  tree tops . Only contracted beings dared to venture inside the forest that had killed many even without the fog that did not use to be there before, knowing their contractors would not allow them to get lost in the forest that hummed with power. Power that responded to only one person who could command both the trees and the mist at will on a level that had not been witnessed since the ancestors.

The trees were dark and heavy, all but the  ones surrounding the mansion. A large maple stood on the left side of the building,  its leaves looking like freshly spilled blood while the branches reached proudly towards the heaven .  A syringa reticulata stood at the corner, short and compact but  considerably in size with soft white flowers. A gnarly old green maple  formed the backbone of the garden, its branches spreading far and wide, twisting and turning as if to encompass  the space before it,  embracing anyone who dared to enter its  clutches.  In the shadows of the grand tree, standing  in the right-hand corner, was an andromeda bush, its white bell-shaped flowers filling the garden with an overpowering scent. Blue morning glory  crawled up the side of the mansion, mindful of the windows but with no regard  to anything else. 

An Osmanthus stood a little to the side, the fragrance of the orange flowers competing for dominance with the lily-of-the-valley shrub. The majes ty  of the purple wisteria overshadowed any other tree in the garden with the sheer  amount  of flowers drooping from its branches that spread out like vines. The pale pink cherry blossom tree was a close competitor what considered the amount of flowers, its branches forming an umbrella to provide shade and cover from the rain. A prunus  mume  stood close to its fellow blossom tree, smaller in size but more vivid in color despite having fewer flowers. However, regardless of how much flowers or leaves the tree lost, they remained unaffected by the seasons. They were not normal trees, after all. Each of the trees sprouted at the birth of a new pureblood, growing to its full size at the same time the pureblood’s powers developed. The trees were ever-blooming, new flowers and leaves growing the same second the wind tore some of them off. Mere mortals would never be able to comprehend such a phenomenon. 

But then again, neither were they aware of the vampires living among them.  Of course, rumors and stories were loosely based on some form of truth, found in the memories of glimpses  humans caught of the lowest level of vampires , those who were former humans  turned  into mindless bloodsuckers .  Purebloods  on the other hand, were the rulers of the vampire society, yet even they barely fit in, looking too  ethereal  to be real.  The pureblood looking at the  eerie forest before her, was a perfect example. 

She was on the taller side of average, but looked smaller  thanks to the  hikizuri  kimono that was long enough to drag across the floor. Her body was slim but  voluptuous , clad in a pale  blue silk fabric, decorated by white lilies and pink-tinted ribbons  printed along the long sleeves, collar and hem. A pale gold obi was tied around her middle, dangling  down her back towards her ankles to reveal the most of the orange peonies stitched into the silk, hiding the tiny waist underneath.  A white jade in the shape of a peach blossom dangled from a pastel green obi  kazari, signifying the connection she had with the tree in the garden.  Her skin was nearly as pale as the jade at her hip and the mist that surrounded the property, untainted by any imperfections. 

Her face was  painfully symmetrical, breathtakingly beautiful with an elegant nose, natural gradient lips and cold lavender eyes.  Her hair resembled  spider threads , thin silky silver strands reaching towards the back of her knees without a single wave in it.  Only her bangs were cut short enough to fall around her eyes and brush her cheekbones. Her appearance  was so unreal, so outer-worldly, she looked more like a painting in her surroundings that a reality.

“Hime-sama” a soft voice spoke up, finally making the silverette  move for the first time in what must have been hours. Her head turned  in the direction of the sound, revealing a lavender tattoo in the side of a slender neck.

“It is almost time for  your departure” the old woman said, bowing her head low in reverence at the pureblood. While the woman was also a vampire by nature, not to mention older than the silverette,  she was a  level C  who had been loyal to the Hio family since her birth , like her parents before her and her children after her.  Regrettably , those children were no longer alive,  leaving  her alone with a whole lot of grief and a grandson  to raise. She tried not to  show it but her grief  had scarred her . It was  visible in the  lines around her eyes, the  dull color of her green irises and the slack angle of her shoulders. 

However, that didn’t mean  she had given up on life. The wrinkles in the corners of her mouth spoke of countless smiles and her appearance was nothing if not impeccable. Her form was clad in  a dusty green kimono and her hair, white from age,  was styled in a tight bun  on top of her head. It was impossible not to notice how strong this woman was.

“Shall I help you get ready ” she asked  and the silverette answered with  a hum before she turned towards the woman to follow her inside. Inside the  mansion , one of the many rooms was used as a walk-in closet,  displaying several high - quality kimonos  in different styles. Bright colors with  obnoxious prints, dull solid colors, pale colors with soft decorations.  The closets were filled with  brocade  silks and other kinds of fabrics,  ready to be made into new kimonos. The silverette stood in the middle of the room as the old vampire pulled on a pair of white gloves before carefully untying the  obi kazari, laying it on the pillow on the  accessory  table a little further.  The  hikizuri  was the first layer to come off,  draped onto  a  display  stand with practiced movements before the  solid pastel green one  worn underneath it followed, leaving behind a white  nagajuban .  As the last piece of fabric fell away, the  mark in the shape of a cluster of peach blossoms was  revealed on her hip ,  though it was hidden underneath a pristine white button-up as soon as  her undergarments were in place .

“I’m sorry , Aguri ” the silverette said as she looked at the older woman in front of her , drawing her attention away from the buttons she was fastening.  Shock was clearly visible on the woman’s face as her gaze met the young pureblood’s.

“ What for, Hime-sama?” she asked, her tone slightly panicky when she was unable to figure out why the  silverette would apologize so out of the blue.

“For taking away your grandson and leaving you alone in  a mansion filled with ghosts” the young vampire said, her expression composed but her eyes shining with pity and sympathy, not to mention guilt, for taking away the only living family the woman had left.  Aguri  didn’t seem to mind, a smile curvin g  her lips as she closed her eyes , her fingers deftly continuing to button up the  silverette’s shirt.

“No need to feel apo lo getic about it, Hime-sama.  It is an  honor  for both Yuuya and me that you would consider taking him with you when you return ” she assured the silverette before reaching out for the white short  petticoat on the table next to them.

“ It is the pride of the Mizuno family  to serve the Hio family. Because of circumstances, I was unable  to serve your mother  like I served your grandmother  and I am already too old to serve you.  I am grateful you would consider allowing Yuuya to serve you though he is lacking in many ways ” she added while  fastening the pe t ticoat around the silverette’s waist,  the adjustments she had made to it when the silverette first arrived at the mansion making it easier to  fit around  the tiny circumference of her middle. The silverette had arrived at the mansion a few days ago in a swirl of sakura petals , unconscious  and with too many questions when she woke up a few hours later.  Aguri had been most helpful to answer them and fill in the blanks in the silverette’s returning memory.  Finding out that what you believed your entire  life, was nothing more than a lie with some half-hearted half-truths here and there , was a bitter, hard pill to swallow. 

However, once a starving man  took  a morsel into his mouth, it’s impossible to get him to spit it back out again.  And if that morsel happened to be poisoned,  he would just have to deal with the  consequences .  Zero had bitten off more than she could chew, more than she had wanted,  and the poison had been more potent that she could have ever imagined.  The threat of falling to the mindless state of a level E vampire, doomed to be controlled by her  own lust for blood and hunted for however  miserably  short she would live,  was nothing more than a joke to her now. She was a pureblood, sealed by her own grandmother at her birth and given to her father to live with her half-brother as hunter.  Because, while vampires hated hunters, it was still a fate better  than that of her mother, the madly blooming princess, locked away into a cage like a prized bird with its wings clipped. Or so everyone thought. 

It was impossible to lock  up  a pureblood  in a place they didn’t want to be. A futile attempt at controlling a power that wasn’t theirs to control.  Compared to how the vampires tried to control  Shizuka while still maintaining the same kind of reverence towards the being they saw as rulers of their  race ,  hunters did not hold purebloods in the same regard and had an easier time to  control the pureblood they had managed to get their hands on.  The esteem e d Kiryuu family, the closest thing hunters had to royalty,  was in fact a pureblood vampire line, undiluted  with human blood up until her father’s generation. Zero had never known her father had been a pureblood, which was not all that surprising when there were only three people who knew about it.  The wife he had been forced to marry, the president who  held his strings and Kai e n, whose vampire-blood was strong enough to recognize what he was.

Those three  were the only ones who were aware of Kiryuu Ran’s nature, yet only one of them knew about Zero’s nature.  The silverette  had not been able to figure out how that was possible but Aguri had kindly  provided her with an expl a nation that had been given to her by Ran himself, who had been present  during Shizuka’s labor and the too short period of time they had been able to spend together as a family at the mansion before they  had to return, lest they roused suspicion. Shizuka had returned to her cage, once again taking over from the  unmoving clone she had left in her place, while Ran had gone back to his prison with  Zero tucked away against his chest. 

By the time he returned from his long-term mission  with his sealed daughter, h i s huntress wife had gone into labor, a delivery that had nearly killed  her. Not all that surprising considering the curse that rested on hunter twins. Like parasites, one consumed the other inside the womb. However, in this case,  the fact that their sire was a pureblood meant that both of them were vampires.  Aristocrats .  Or so they would have been.  Greedily , one of the  twins  had nearly consumed the other completely  but had been unable to do so, leaving the other severely weakened with only a  tiny  bit of hunter in him. As if the strongest twin had attempted to become a pureblood by  consuming his other half, he had ingested an overdose of poison, a lethal mistake that had nearly killed all three of them.  When Ran arrived at the hospital, his wife had yet to wake up from her surgery and only one of his children  had survived, sickly but alive. To protect his daughter, he had altered the memories of the doctors and changed the  birth records , making Zero Ichiru’s twin sister instead of his half sibling.

It had worked, for a while. But then this and that happened and Ran had prepared to leave with Zero when he had heard of Shizuka’s bust out of jail. It had always been a dream of them to leave everything behind and go into hiding, away from vampires and hunters alike. However, before they had been able to leave, the huntress, who had always been like a mother to Zero, had received orders to stop Ran from leaving the hunter’s association against any costs, no matter what she had to do. Even if that meant killing the pureblood, using his taming mark against him. It had been a lucky shot but she had succeeded. Both in killing Ran and pissing off Shizuka. The madly blooming princess had intended to take Zero with her and awaken her, but had been prevented to, only going half-way and leaving her daughter to suffer through the transition from human to level E vampire. Until a  little while  ago, when she had been able to supply the  silverette  with her blood. 

Zero wasn’t sure what happened after that, only remembering  a sense of vertigo, a flurry of sakura petals and pale pink eyes looking at her fondly but ready to die, accepting of her death. She doubted  her mother was still alive and she was pretty sure part of the blame befell on her. After all, she had shot her with an anti-vampire weapon. While it wouldn’t have killed her,  it sure as hell had weakened her.

“Is there something on your mind, Hime-sama ” Aguri asked as she stood up from where she had straightened out the pureblood’s  thigh high black socks, shaking the silverette out of her thoughts. She blinked as she looked at the older vampire, moving  towards the low vanity desk  she politely pointed at.

“Just wondering about how I should face Kaien when I return. Nothing for you to concern yourself about” Zero responded but in a tone that put an end to the subject. Aguri didn’t take it to heart, reaching up for the pins holding part of the pureblood’s hair up.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t concern yourself about it either? You might not be the only one needing to adjust to your change” she suggested  as she carefully laid the pins down on one side  of the desk, reaching out for the comb resting on the other side when the last pin was removed from the silver locks.  It was the only thing she would say about it  and Zero silently accepted her advice, closing her eyes when she felt the comb move through her hair with long, gentle drags.  It wasn’t really  necessary  considering it ne v er tangled up in the first place , but the sensation was almost therapeutic and calmed her down slightly. If not her worries, then at least her thoughts.

She opened her eyes when she felt her hair being pulled up into a ponytail high on the back of her head,  secured with the same pale-green  o bi kazari she had worn before, the jade  hidden underneath the silky strands and resting against her back.  She drew the line when Aguri started takin g  out make-up, standing up before the older woman could  attempt to convince her into wearing a little. She had succeeded once before, but it would not happen today.

“Thank you, Aguri . It is fine like this” she said as she reached out for bloody rose resting on a velvet red pillow, k n owing Aguri couldn’t touch it even if she wanted to.

“Yes, Hime-sama” the older vampire said with a bow of her head, her  closed eyes not watching how the silverette tu c ked away the frightening anti-vampire weapon.  Zero had feared the gun would reject her now that she had awakened as a pureblood, but besides the  usual jolt she was used to receiving upon first contact, nothing happened.  Then again, that was somewhat to be expected  considering her father had been able to wield an anti-vampire weapon, his  dual  jian, without a problem. Not to mention that he had told her often enough  of how the Kiryuu clan had helped design the weapons, back when he was giving her special training besides Yagari’s lessons. Back then,  she hadn’t really understood why she needed to receive special  training on top of her training with  her master, but now she sure as hell did. The Kiryuu clan  members were known among the highest ranked hunters as masters of hidden weapons, something Yagari  would never have been able to teach her. It was an art that was passed down from parent to child in secret and had been for centuries, ever since the  ancestor  of their pureblood  clan.

Zero was currently the only master of the art left, just as much as she was the last pureblood of both the Kiryuu and the Hio family. She wasn’t quite sure if this made her a hunter or a vampire. She had been thinking about it ever since she had woken up at the mansion, her powers out of control as she grieved the mother she never had, the mother she had and the father who had lied to her for her entire life. She grieved the life she had lived all over again, but this time with the addition of the life she would never be able to live with her true mother and father, two people who had loved each other with whole their hearts and had wanted nothing more than to be together without involving anyone else. However, at the same time, Zero couldn’t just forget the mother who had raised her together with Ichiru. They might not share any blood ties, but neither did she have those with Kaien. That didn’t stop her from seeing him as  her  surrogate father.

After losing both parents whom she had loved wholeheartedly and a mother she wished she had known in a different way other than an enemy, she didn’t think she would be able to survive Kaien rejecting her because of her true nature, something even she hadn’t been able to figure out yet.

Great, she was thinking about it again.

“Where is Yuuya?”  the silverette asked as she stepped outside onto the porch ,  Aguri trailing behind her with her hands folded in front of her.

“I’m here, Hime-sama” a voice spoke up to their left before the older vampire could respond, drawing their attention to the young man approaching them. Yuuya, Aguri’s grandson, was a handsome young vampire who was taller than Kaname and Kain, around the same height as Yagari, though wider in the shoulders and bulkier in the muscles, used to doing the heavy maintenance of the mansion on his own. He had rebuild the entire wing Zero’s powers had demolished upon awakening faster than a group of professional workers would have been able to do. Like his grandmother, the young level C vampire possessed green eyes that were brighter than emeralds, unnaturally so for a human. In contrast, his hair was pitch black, long side-swept bangs framing his eyes while the  mid- thigh  length strands were tied with a ribbon, the loose ponytail draped over his shoulder. Complimenting his eyes, he wore a dark green kimono, the bottom lifted up and tucked in behind the black obi that matched the pants he wore underneath and the long sleeves visible underneath the tied back sleeves of his robe.

“You called for me?” Yuuya asked as he stopped next to them, remaining on a polite distance as Zero stepped off the porch and into her boots that were placed next to a pair of  okobo geta.

“We are leaving. Are you ready?” the pureblood asked as Aguri stepped down the porch to tie the laces  of her boots . Zero suppressed a grimace as she looked away from the older woman.  Receiving help to  get dressed and undressed was not a problem, considering the heavy layers she wore at the mansion according to Hio standards, but she could tie her own shoes. Not that the white-haired vampire would let her. The silverette didn’t want a repeat of day two, having the older woman lower her head all the way to the ground to beg her to allow the old  vampire to serve her in every way she still could.  So, instead of watching a prideful woman beg, she gritted her teeth and allowed the woman to do what she wanted , even if that was tying her shoes.

“You told me my belongings have already been delivered to the dorms and I have my flute here” Yuuya said as he mentioned the  bamboo flute secured to his lower back by the obi, touching it with an almost shy, uneasy expression on his face.

“ However,  I’m not sure if I should change into something different” he admitted and  Aguri straightened up again.

“That’s your choice. You’ll be receiving your uniform when we arrive at school, so you’ll have to change into that to attend classes anyway. It’s up to you to cho os e whether you want to change once or twice”  Zero responded  and the raven pulled a face , clearly going with option one.  She would have done the same.

“Then I’m ready to go” Yuuya said as Aguri stepped away from the pureblood to let her pass, turning to see the young woman step up next to her grandson , both of them facing her.

“We will return for a visit as soon as we can” Zero assured the woman who would no doubt be lonely, receiv ing  a fond smile as answer.

“ Don’t feel forced to pay attention to this old woman. I will be fine. Please watch yourself” the older vampire requested before turning to her grandson.

“Be sure to serve her well and take care of her ” she said, her tone and gaze sharper than when she had addressed the pureblood, causing the raven’s spine to tense.

“Of course, grandmother” Yuuya responded, though Zero wished he wouldn’t take her so seriously. She already though  that the two Mizu n o’s took their duty too  diligently , but then again, it was something she wasn’t used to. She had never had any servants, and all of a sudden, she had two of them who seemed to live to serve her. Aguri had actually begged her for permission and Yuuya, though clumsy compared to his grandmother, was eager to do everything within his power to obey even her smallest request and command. It was a bit too intense for Zero, but she was slowly adjusting to it, knowing she needed to if she wanted them to meet her half-way and loosen up. Yuuya would never do so in front of his grandmother, but she hoped she would be able to convince him when they were at the academy.

“Are you sure you are fine with that kind of parting?” Zero asked as she glanced back at the  raven walking behind her as they maneuvered through the forest, descending down the mountain. The fog parted before them , allowing them to see where they were walking before they ran into a tree. It wasn’t much, but then again, the pureblood didn’t need much. She was the one who created this mist. Yes, it had been subconsciously ,  but it still seemed like a part of her , part of her powers .  She would not get lost in this fog.  And if Yuuya stuck close enough to her, he wouldn’t either.

“ Pardon?” the raven asked as he looked up at the pureblood, away from the forest floor he kept an eye on out of habit.  Moist ground and roots that protruded from the earth was not a good combination with  geta, even when they had two t ee th and an a dded  soft cord besides the black thick thongs to hel p  secure the foot. However, Yuuya had grown up in this forest, wearing those wooden sandals nearly his entire life.  He probably walked on those sandals better than he did in regular shoes.

“You probably won’t be seeing Aguri for some time because I asked if you wanted to come to the academy.  I would have  never left  my family  without saying goodbye properly” Zero said as she looked in front of her again, tilting her head slightly. Perhaps it was because she was raised by humans, or at least hunters -who were closer to humans than vampires, but she never left the house without a hug and a kiss. While she wasn’t exactly a touchy-feely person and never had been, it was a habit she had  since her childhood  and something she hadn’t really been able to shake off.  It was just something they did, to make sure they had no regrets in case that was the last time they saw each other. The job of a hunter had a high mortality rate, after all.

“Do not worry, Hime-sama. Grandma properly lectured me  last night  on what to do as your attendant ” Yuuya said, trying to reassure her but not succeeding entire ly. Not even a little bit.

“That’s not  what I meant ” Zero uttered under her breath, soft enough to be carried off by the wind before it could reach the male’s ears  as she closed her eyes. She was just going to drop the subject, not w anting to spend hours explaining the difference between saying goodbye and being lectured.  Honestly, those two.  They really were too serious about their duties as a servant of the Hio family. However, sometimes, that was a good thing as well. Aguri, like the competent woman she was, had made sure a car was prepared close  to the foot of the mountain where a small wooden building was located. From the outside, it looked like a hunter’s cabin, one that hunted the animals that were supposed to live in the forest. But on the inside, it was a garage . Normally, the space was empty, but the old vampire had immediately prepared a car for the pureblood when she had told the woman she would need to return to the academy.  She wouldn’t have needed a vehicle if she had traveled on her own, but the grandmother and grandson duo  had not accepted her leaving without a servant with her.  Alas why a car was needed.

Not that Zero minded it when she appreciated the old woman’s taste in cars. She let her fingers trail  over the side of the hood, looking pleased at the dark grey painting that dyed the car.  It had a sleek but old exterior , giving it a n elegant but  sporty appearance.  There were no rear seats, but that mattered not when there were only two passengers slipping into the black leather  padded  bucket seats.  The silverette’s hands found the large steering wheel, the pale wooden surface smooth under her palms as her feet found the pedals.  It took only a twist of the key for the engine to come to life, her hand moving to the gear poke sticking out from the floor of the car in between the two seats.  She waited until the front wall of the cabin was raised completely before moving the car forward, grateful that Kaito had taught her how to drive when they had been twelve.  Granted, it hadn’t exactly ended well when she had crashed the car into a tree, but Yagari had been able to laugh with it. Kaien, not so much, wailing more about his precious car that had been destroyed. Luckily, Yagari had promised to teach them how to ride like they were supposed to as long as they fixed up the chairman’s car.

Kaien’s car had never driven as good as the one she currently had under her control. The knowledge that  t his was her car, one Aguri assured her belonged to her, made it that much better.

“We made it here sooner than I expected” Zero said as she  drove up the  drive-way  towards the garage attached to the chairman’s  residence .  Kaien’s dying car was parked inside of it, but  the man hardly used it anymore, afraid it would fall apart on him if he did, so the silverette had no hesitation to park in front of the closed  gate. Yuuya was smart enough not to point  out that she had cut down their travel time considerably with that lead foot of hers  and instead looked out of the window at the aged building , making no move to remove his seatbelt because Zero didn’t either.

“Is this the academy?” he asked and the silverette gave him a sideway glance before looking back at the residence.

“No, this is where the chairman lives. I’ll show you around the school-grounds before we go to the night dorms ” she told him before inhaling deeply through her nose, stopping her stomach from turning on willpower alone. She reached out to shut down the engine, removing her seatbelt with her other hands and prompting the raven to do the same.  They stepped out of the car simultaneously and the silverette put her keys into the pocket sewn inside her skirt after closing the door behind her. She refused to admit that it was also a way for her to wipe her palms on the fabric as she walked up to the building with Yuuya trailing behind her. She contemplated stopping to knock on the door but deciding against, knowing fully well how sharp Kaien’s senses were. Surely he was already aware of her arrival even when most of her aura was suppressed. There was no way he wouldn’t notice, so she opened the door without reserve.

“I’m home” she said, though her voice was eve softer than it usually was. Yet she could still hear running footsteps resound on the wooden floor, making her spine tense as she swallowed down the nausea threatening to raise its head, able to sense exactly who was quickly travelling the hallways towards the entrance hall.  She braced herself  for an attack and was pretty sure a tackle could be considered one as well, thus she couldn’t be blamed for dodging the blonde as he leaped towards her.  The two vampires  watched the man skid across the floor face-first with  a deadpan look , unsure of what to make of the scene as the man who was supposed to be an adult twitched where  he rested on the ground before he hopped onto his knees. Zero grimaced as Kaien looked over his shoulder with a hand on his red nose while tears streamed down his cheeks.

“How cruel! My beloved daughter is so cruel! Rejecting her father so harshly after being apart for so long” the man whined and the pureblood rolled with her eyes , feeling stupid for having worried before. What had she expected the man to do? Hate her? She didn’t think the man had one bone in his body capable of hate. And even if there was one,  20 5  o ther bones were full of forgiveness.  It was easy to count which one would overpower the other.

“I know my history has changed a bit, but I still don’t recall becoming your daughter, Cross” she said , seeing the man’s pouty expression being replaced by a sympathizing yet fond smile as he rose to his feet again.

“It’s good to see you, Zero. How are you doing?” he asked and a waterfall of words rested on the silverette’s tongue, yet she swallowed them back them regardless of how much she wanted to let them all go. If there was one person she could trust without hesitation, that was surely the old hunter. But she couldn’t. She had never really been one to talk about her feelings and awakening as a pureblood hadn’t changed that.

“Good, considering the circumstances” she responded instead, turning her head slightly toward the vampire behind her.

“ This is my servant,  Mizuno Yuuya. The vampire I told you about” she said, shifting the subject from herself to the young man instead. She wasn’t sure she would be able to stand being under the blonde’s scrutiny without cracking even a little.  Kaien no doubt understood, knowing her well enough already not to push her when it wasn’t necessary and especially not in the presence of others.

“Right! The new student for the night-class! Come inside! Do you want some tea?” the former hunter asked as Zero crouched down to remove her shoes.  Yuuya  bend  down to do the same while keeping his eyes on the blonde.

“Ah, yes. Thank you” he responded  as he untied the white soft cord keeping the g eta  secure to  the  soles  of his feet  before sliding out of his sandals, following after the pureblood and the hunter as they walked further into the house.  While he looked around curiously  without moving his head , Zero  felt her  uneas e recede with each step she  took  but she knew her worries  would no doubt remain until she was able to talk to Kaien alone. She could deal with it for now, but she needed to do it before she faced Yuuki, the girl she saw as a sister. In a way, she feared Yuuki’s reaction more than she did Kaien’s , yet she could predict the brunette’s reaction better. Considering how in love she was with a pureblood, Zero doubted she would be hated by Yuuki, but that didn’t make it any easier to tell her the truth. 

“Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I’ll get the tea” Kaien said as he  gestured towards  the sofas filling the living-room. Zero, feeling right at home because it was her home, sat down in her usual space facing the fireplace , glancing sideways at Yuuya who sat down on the opposite end,  his back straight and hands folded in his lap as he gazed at the make-shift family picture above the  fireplace.

“ There’s no need to feel nervous , Mizuno-kun! I don’t bite!” Kaien called from the kitchen with a laugh, making Zero roll with her eyes.  However, despite the former hunter’s best attempts at getting the vampire to relax with humor, he wasn’t very successful.  Teacups rattled on top of the tray the blonde carried towards the coffee table, placing it down on top of it before pouring three cups, placing them along with the saucers in front of the two vampires. He kept his own cup in his hand  as he sat down at the leather chair next to the sofa, smiling pleased to himself as he inhaled the fruity fragrance of the tea, sipping from the beverage before turning to the duo that occupied his sofa like statues.

“Alright, so Mizuno-kun, I’m assuming Zero already told you about me and my school” Kaien opened the conversation as he turned his attention to the raven who responded with a hum, reaching out for his cup of tea only when the silverette did.

“Yes. Hime-sama explained the night and day class system and how this is a vampire friendly school but that the existence of vampires is unknown to humans” the young man said and the blonde nodded his head pleased.

“She has explained that very well, as expected from my daughter. I suppose she also explained you the rules as well” he stated and the vampire lowered his head in a nod.

“Correct. The rule this school is strictest on is that it is forbidden to drink blood from humans .  The second rule is that the existence of vampires must remain hidden, alas why there are perfects like Hime-sama.  They also take care of crossover, when the night class move from their dorms to the school building.  The night class and the day class have different dorms located far away from each other but they use the same building for their classes ” he said and Kaien laughed softly.

“I wonder why I’m even here. Zero-chan can just take over my school as chairman and I can retire without worry” he said and Zero huffed.

“You know that’s never going happen, Cross, so put it out of your head. Let Yuuki take over the academy” she said and Kaien waved it off with another laugh.

“Well, I’m sure Zero has explained everything to you so this conversation with me is nothing more than a formality.  If you have any questions, you can come either to me, to Zero or to my other daughter and the second perfect, Yuuki. I’m sure you’ll meet her later, during crossover” he said before sending the raven a wide smile.

“You’re lucky you’re here so early! Now you’ll be able to attend class right away, since your uniform is already prepared for you in your room!” he said before tilting his head.

“Ah, but maybe Zero will give you a tour first. It wouldn’t do if you got lost since the school grounds are large” he said and Zero gave a hum.

“That was the plan” she confirmed and the blonde looked pleased  as he straightened up, picking up the map of papers from the side-table, conveniently placed there before the vampires had even entered his house.

“Well then, all that is left to do is sign a few papers and then you will officially be a student of Cross academy ! I ’m a bit more excited than usual since this is the first time Zero has brought in a night class student” he said opening the files on top of the table. He told the  raven  to read through the contract before signing it, gushing about his school and some additional things he was sure Zero had left out, and for good reason since in her opinion, it were irrelevant things.  There were some extra rules he  decided to highlight, like how Yuuki and Zero were forbidden terrain and not open for dating, something that flustered the usually composed male.

“Yuuya, would you mind waiting outside for a little?” she requested  when she was sure Kaien was finished with him  and the vampire lowered his head into a bow before he stood up, turning to leave the chairman and his ward alone, a silence  falling over the room until the front-door closed behind the raven. The pureblood sipped from her tea that tasted surprisingly good, likely because Yuuki was the one who had made it since Kaien’s brew was something only he could drink and survive. She wasn’t quite sure where to start, a silence falling as she searched for the right words and Kaien gave her the time to do so, not even humming a song like he usually did.

“Things have changed” Zero finally said, breaking the silence and making the former hunter look up from his tea.

“ Have  they?  You still look the same to me ” he asked with a fond smile.

“ I said things, not me” the silverette said, rather sharply as she placed her cup down on the table, frowning at it.

“But since you’re talking about me, I have definitely changed” she corrected him.

“And how are you handling it?” he asked and Zero sighed as she closed her eyes.

“There is nothing to handle. It is what it is. I’m a pureblood and have been since birth. Nothing will change that now ” she said as she sunk away in her seat a little, unable to look up at her foster father.

“I struggled to accept it in the beginning, after I woke up. But  whether I accept it or not, it won’t make a difference . Besides my status and my power, I haven’t changed.  I’m still me, though I am a pureblood and have always been even when I hadn’t known i t . That part had been the easiest to accept  despite that it had taken a few days ” she admitted before closing her eyes again.

“The hardest part was my history and what a lie my life has been. I’m still struggling with that.  With what I had and thought  was real, and with what I will never have and never even thought about.  With what I lost before I even realized I had it and the chances that are forever lost on me now”  she said, opening her eyes once more but keeping them on her tea.

“Hio Shi- my mother, what happened to her?” she asked, though she already knew the answer before Kaien even said anything. She felt his hand settle on top of her knee, giving it a squeeze.

“I’m sorry” he said, making her look up at him, finally meeting his eyes  as he gave her a rueful smile  that looked a little too much like pity.  So she really wouldn’t be getting a chance to speak with her mother and have her countless questions answered. She would never have a chance to see if she too would be able to feel the same connection Shizuka had felt towards her , if she would be able to answer the unconditional love that had been hers without her even being aware of it  or being able to feel grateful for it . She would never be able to se e  if she could give the woman a chance at being her mother like she had so desperately wanted to be.  Zero clung to the memory of the last moments she had  spend  with the severally misunderstood woman. In that moment, with the pureblood’s blood streaming through her veins, setting her body on fire, she had understood everything of the woman she had never been able to see as anything but her enemy. Not until the last moment, when her memories and her feelings had been the only thing needed for the silverette to forgive her.  When she had wiped away her mother’s tears with her thumbs and had leaned into the touch that stroked her hair lovingly before she was swallowed up by sakura petals without being able to spend even a second longer at her side.

“It was Kaname, wasn’t it?” she guessed as she opened her eyes again, wishing she could just let go of those feelings that  gripped her heart, making her chest clench in regret at the possibilities she had never known she had had.

“I don’t know, Zero. I’m sorry” Kaien said as he took the silverette’s hand in his, trying to warm up the cold limbs in between his own.

“The vampire society thinks you did it” he disclosed and Zero’s head shot up with a raised eyebrow.

“Really? Are they stupid?” she asked before she wanted to pull those words back, shaking her head.

“No, never mind. They never knew the full story. I didn’t either. I wanted my mother dead and it wasn’t exactly a secret. I wasn’t subtle about my hatred for her specifically, not knowing it was misplaced and how much grief I gave her because of it.  In their eyes, I had more than enough motives”  she said, looking back up.

“Considering that mother was a pureblood despite everything, I suspect they didn’t sit still” she guessed and Kaien made a difficult face, one that was partially a grimace and partially worry.

“They attacked Yuuki with a couple of them” he admitted and Zero’s eyes widened, her powers lashing out before she could reign them in.

“Excuse me?” she asked, not looking at the cracked cups and shattered lamp on the side-table that had drawn Kaien’s attention.

“Calm down, Zero. People will notice” he warned her, not even needing to explain who he meant with people. Humans would never notice, but vampires sure would. Like pulling an invisible elastic band  back towards her, she calmed her powers again, releasing a breath through her nose.

“Sorry. It’s still quite difficult to control my powers but I’m working on it” she assured the chairman  who gave her a smile, squeezing her hands once more.

“It’s alright. I nearly stormed the vampire council with sword drawn when I heard about it” he told her  and his smile fell away again as he sighed softly.

“Luckily, Kaname-kun was there to  step in and stop the vampires from actually drawing blood. He managed to get the council to back off by vouching for you” he explained and Zero scoffed.

“Which is basically confessing to the murder  because I sure as hell didn’t kill her. She was still alive when she send me to the Hio mansion” she said and Kaien regarded her silently.

“Will you try to take revenge on him if he did kill her?” he asked in an even tone but not unfriendly. Zero understood his worries and shook her head.

“No. While I do regret not being able to have a chance to  do more than forgive her, it’s not like the bond I have with her is strong enough to drive me to revenge. I will not destroy your life’s work over something like this. Mother had accepted her death when she awakened me. I would spit on her sacrifice if I desired revenge” she said and Kaien looked somewhat surprised but proud as well.

“That doesn’t mean I forgive Kaname for doing what he did. For anything he has done” she said sharply, not mentioning the memories she had seen in her mother’s blood. She felt better about being used in the Kuran pureblood’s schemes  when she thought of how even he had fallen for her mother’s schemes.

“I’ll also warn you, but I have no intention of  being all friendly with  vampires like you  are . Yuuya, Aguri, mother and father are  the exceptions . They’re still stuck up leeches with shitty personalities ” she warned and  Kaien pouted.

“Oh no” he said, releasing her hands to reach behind the couch to withdraw something.

“How will you ever have fun  during your classes when you transfer into the night class?” he asked, showing off the white uniform that was draped over his arms, making her eyebrow twitch, one of the cups unable to handle any more of her powers as it finally succumbed under the pressure.

“Like hell I’m transferring into the night class” she said and Kaien leveled her with a thoughtful look she hadn’t expected. She had prepared herself for one of his pitiful acts again, not his serious side.

“You’re a pureblood, Zero. You can’t stay in the day class” he said and Zero held his gaze.

“I’m aware.  But I don’t think transferring into the night class at the moment is a good idea. If I transfer now, the vampire council will wonder why I’m not falling to level E and they’ll connect it to mother’s murder. And then Kaname’s act of ‘kindness’ will have been for nothing” she said, making sure to emphasize the sarcasm when she spoke of the Kuran pureblood’s kindness.

“You can’t wait too long and you know this as well, but for now, I’ll accept it” Kaien responded with a sigh and Zero was grateful she didn’t have to reveal that she was a vampire just yet. 

“Just be sure to be careful, alright? The vampire council won’t let this go easily and on top of that your bro- Ichiru has disappeared” he told her and the silverette looked up at him.

“You can call him my brother. To me, he is my brother regardless of whether we’re twins or half-siblings” she said before she looked at the fireplace again.

“And don’t worry about Ichiru. I’ll take care of him” she said and Kaien looked hesitant but accepted it.

“If you’re sure” he said as he laid aside the uniform to clap in his hands.

“Now, you should go and give our new student the tour of the academy before classes start  and I’ll take care of your transfer papers so Kaname is aware of it already ” he said, a goofy smile once again finding its way onto his face.  Zero wanted to refuse  and tell him that he shouldn’t bother yet , but knew she couldn’t. Just a little while ago, she had admitted that  she  knew s he would need to transfer into the night class sooner or later .  S he was fully aware that as someone wh o  went over everything vampire that happened in this school, Kaname  had to  approve  of her transfer into the night section. Without his  approval , there was no way she would be allowed to transfer. On second thought, let Kaien put in the transfer, it didn’t matter.  Kaname had already told her before that he  was using  her as Yuuki’s shield, so he wouldn’t agree to her transfer so easily , lest his beloved girl remained alone and unprotected.

“Do as you like ” she said as she pushed up from the couch to her feet with newfound confidence that confused the chairman. No doubt he had expected her to argue, maybe even throw a tantrum that would leave him with a broken table, something  she had done before, but her slightly amused reaction took him off guard  enough to allow her to slip outsid e without him saying anything else.

“Are you  alright, Hime-sama? I could feel you use your powers” Yuuya  asked in an urgent voice as he turned to her  from the  second her toe passed the  threshold , his stone-faced expression  cracked to show worry, averting his eyes in shame.

“ I wanted to come in when I felt it, but I figured that if you used  your powers,  I would be useless and in the way” he added  as the silverette closed the door behind her.

“It’s alright, Yuuya. I just lost grip for a second, nothing to worry about” she assured him as she stepped away from the house,  knowing the raven would follow her. As expected, the vampire  didn’t even hesitate to fall in step behind her, though he didn’t  look all that convinced by her words, a guilty expression remaining on his face as he didn’t dare to look up at her back. Zero didn’t blame him for  not being able to step in when he felt her  powers, knowing that vampires were instinctually afraid of purebloods. Yuuya had never been around vampires other than his parents and his grandmother, who were hardly on a pureblood level. The silverette  was the first pureblood he served and he was desperate to do it perfectly, while Zero only wanted him to loosen up.

“And Yuuya,  don’t  address  me as  H ime  while you’re here” she said, receiving the vampire’s wide-eyed attention.

“But Hime-sama,  I can’t do that! The mere idea is disrespectful” he said, speaking even quicker than he had before.

“ Yuuya, I know this will be hard for you, which is why I won’t care what you call me when we are alone or around people who know of my status, but nobody in the night class knows and I would like to keep it that way”  she explained before looking over her shoulder at the taller vampire.

“You’ll be one of the very few I will allow to  address  me  by my first name  without getting shot because I like you.  So please, try  your best to remember” she said  and Yuuya blinked, clearly  struggling to  make a decision. Both options were  disrespectful in his eyes. On one hand, he  addressed  a pureblood informally, while on the other hand,  he was granted the privilege of calling a pureblood by their first name and refusing to do so could be an insult to them after being  told that he was allowed to do so because he was in the pureblood’s  favor . He swallowed thickly as he made his decision, lowering his torso in a formal bow as he stopped walking.

“ I will try my very best to remember to call you informally in front of others, Hime-sama” he told her and Zero gave a  pleased  hum. She could deal with that for now.

“Raise your head, or you won’t be able to follow the tour I’m supposed to give you” she said as she turned forward again, resuming her walk towards the stables. Of course that was her first stop since that was where White Lily was and she was aware of how scared everyone was of the horse. She could only hope that they had been brave enough to feed her or at least put her on the meadow where she had  grass  and  water available. She checked inside the stables first, only to come up empty. The sound of a neigh drew her to the meadow behind the stables, slipping in between two beams of the fence as a white horse galloped towards them on full speed, whining loudly in a manner that could almost be called angry.

“Hime-sama?”  Yuuya asked, sounding somewhat worried as the horse showed no indication of stopping  or slowing down  and the silverette merely continued to advance towards it, away from the fence.

“It’s alright, Yuuya. She knows me” Zero said, though she wasn’t sure Lily would accept her. She was painfully aware about how sensitive the mare was towards vampires, but she had always been the sole exception. Looks like this was still the case even  after her awakening. The pureblood couldn’t help but  let out a little laugh, a relieved smile curling her lips as she  watched the  horse  frolicking around her, bucking and rearing without coming close enough to harm her.  She calmed down as soon as Zero extended a hand, pressing her nose into it before pushing it into the silverette’s stomach with a sharp exhaled through her nose. The pureblood patted the horse’s neck fondly while smiling , taking a step backwards when Lily threw her head up.

“I’ll come back later, alright girl?  I’ve got a tour to finish first” she said , relieved that Lily hadn’t raced away from her  or tried to attack her in the back when she left the meadow.

“I wouldn’t suggest doing what I just did. White Lily hates vampires with a passion  and she isn’t too keen on humans either . The only reason I’m the exception is because I raised her with the bottle when she was a foal ”  she said and Yuuya glanced back at the horse  as they walked away from the meadow, swearing the animal was glaring at him.

“Understood” he sai d, trailing after the pureblood when she walked around the school-grounds,  explaining what everything was in a nutshell, leaving out the things that were irrelevant in her opinion. If he really wanted to know what they were, he would be able to discover them on his own later.

“I’m not even going to show you the sun dorms, since  you aren’t allowed to be there ” Zero said, making her way straight from the school building to the moon dorms, looking over her shoulder at the vampire walking behind her.

“And if I  see you drink one drop of blood from the day-class students, I’m hunting a bullet through your head. Don’t make me do it”  she added the warning again  and Yuuya made a small bow that could just barely pass as a long nod of the head. 

“If it comes to that, I will gladly accept whatever punishment you see fit” he said and  the silverette regarded him before turning towards the  gates leading to the moon dorm, pushing it open easily despite its heavy weight.

“ This is as far as I go.  The moon dorms will be explained by either the dorm president or one of his lackeys” the silverette said and Yuuya tilted his head confused  as he continued to follow Zero on the path leading to the aristocratic mansion.

“And if I may ask, who is the dorm president?” he asked and before  the pureblood  could answer,  the door of the building opened to reveal the mentioned vampire.

“That would be me” Kaname said,  not bothering to step outside, remaining in the door-opening as he waited until the two vampires had reached him, keeping his eyes on the  prefect  who didn’t bother resisting the urge to glare at him.  She reigned in her temper even when her gaze sharpened, regarding the older male without saying a word until his attention shifted. 

“You must be the transfer student”  h e said,  now  ignoring Zero as he turned to Yuuya.  The young pureblood was grateful for his lack of attention on her, always feeling on edge under his intense gaze.  Honestly, she never knew what the man was thinking and it unnerved her because while she was smart, she could never hope to figure out what was going on in his mind. She was pretty sure she didn’t want to either.

“Yes, my name is Mizuno Yuuya. I will be under your guidance” the raven said as he made a bow to the Kuran prince, a little less formal than he had done towards Zero .

“Come in. I will take it from here, Kiryuu-kun. Yuuki has been waiting for you to return. Perhaps you should go look for her. She was quite worried about you” the older pureblood said and  the silverette turned away without a word, pushing her hands into her pockets, curling her fingers around her car keys. The Kuran prince had been right about Yuuki being worried, because no sooner than she had stepped through the gates, she found herself with her arms full of her adoptive sister who was crying into her neck.  Zero had expected her to have a million of questions she would demand an answer to but was grateful when Yuuki didn’t even ask them, taking enough with just confirming that the taller girl was alright and healthy.

Not that she was able to do more than that since the first fangirls started to arrive.

Zero was so going to get a headache because of this.


	2. Transfer.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaname's POV of Zero's transfer into the nightclass.  
> I hope you like it :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: Besides the OCs, the story and the grammar mistakes, I owe nothing ^^

He loved Yuuki. 

Yuuki, with her tender brown doe eyes that looked up at him in adoration, big orbs so similar to his own rimmed with thick brown lashes. With her soft peachy cheeks that flushes so easily whenever she saw him and her small pink lips that just couldn’t help but curl up in a smile whenever she talked to him. With auburn brown hair that framed her childlike face cutely and tickled her slim neck like an invitation. With her petite build that was dwarfed by his own height, standing a little more than a full head smaller than him, the perfect size to be wrapped up by his form. Her cheerful personality was a fitting contrast with his own stoic one, smiling enough to make up for his lack of expressions. Her energy affected him, warming his cold body in a way he hadn’t felt for a long, long time. 

He loved her, there was no doubt about that. 

But his gaze always trailed off to _her_. 

Even when he knew he shouldn’t, he could not stop himself. 

The first time he had laid eyes on her in that field with her twin brother Ichiru, he had seen her as nothing but a tool, disregarding her life and existence except for what he needed her to be, which was Yuuki’s shield and a weapon for him to wield to protect his beloved girl. Nothing more and nothing less. He had destroyed her life without blinking, pushing down the small amount of remorse he felt, overwriting it by telling himself it was all for Yuuki. For a while, it had worked. Zero had gotten attached to his sister like he had predicted and had protected her when he couldn’t. He had watched Yuuki grow up and Zero grow into the weapon he wanted her to be, strong and skilled, a prodigy among hunters. However, watching them grow up, there were other things he couldn’t but notice. Things he had no business noticing. 

As the years had passed, while Yuuki had remained somewhat childlike and cute, Zero had grown up into a woman, slowly but surely changing right underneath his nose. It had been an evolution he had not being able to ignore when he had been monitoring her growth as his knight. Kaname had always known she wouldn’t have a small statue, but he hadn’t quite expected her to outgrow Ruka and Seiren, thought it was only by a few inches. Her hair that had been about shoulder-blade length as a child which she had used as a curtain to hide her face, had grown out considerably, currently reaching past her hips at the very least. It was impossible to tell exactly how long it was when she always wore it up, but it only accentuated her ethereally pale features that were entrancing to both men and women. 

Even among vampires, the huntress had more than a few admirers who were brave enough to be attracted to her despite her cold, trigger-happy personality that scared them all. Kaname himself wasn’t unintimidated by her either and was quite sure that if he didn’t watch out, he’d end up being shot by bloody rose. Perhaps it was because she was so beautiful and so fragile-looking yet so deadly, that people were so frightened and intimidated by her. Perhaps that gap between her appearance and her aura was what captivated anyone whose gaze landed on her, including the pureblood king. He couldn’t deny being entranced by her when he was incapable of stopping his eyes from seeking her out. 

He sighed as he laid down the papers in his hand on top of his desk, closing his eyes as he resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He had been staring at those papers for a few days now, wondering what to do with them. No, he knew what to do with them and he had already made his decision, which he had told Kaien, but he wasn’t sure if it was the right decision or just a selfish desire. A desire to have his weapon closer to him, within arm’s reach where he could watch her at all times. It was too late to take back his decision, though. He opened his eyes when he felt two familiar presences approach his room, stopping at the door to knock onto it. 

“Enter” Kaname called out his permission softly, still loud enough for Takuma to hear him and open the door, sticking his head inside. His eyes were closed with a smile, though the pureblood could see the nervous lines in his forehead as he tried not to furrow his brows.  

“Kiryuu-chan is here to see you, Kaname-sama” he announced, explaining the reason for his unease. It was never easy for a vampire to have their back towards a hunter and the silverette’s violent temper undid any security they might have felt knowing that the perfect was not allowed to harm them. 

“Let her in” the pureblood responded sitting up straighter, not want to appear weak or tired in front of the huntress. Takuma pushed the door further open, stepping aside to allow the silverette to pass. Kaname didn’t watch the blonde as he closed the door behind her, instead watching the young woman walk up to his desk, stopping in front of it on what she considered to be a safe distance. They remained silent, merely looking at each other without saying a word, neither of them having any intention to break the silence filling the room. The pureblood was aware he was being sized up in a sharp manner, that lavender gaze sending a shiver down his spine that he hid smartly behind a subtle shift, not wanting to show that he was intimidated as he studied the huntress in return. Something had changed about her. He couldn’t put his finger on what, but something had. There was a shift in her scent, smelling stronger of peach blossom than she had before. Instead of the scent of metal and gunpowder mixed with the somewhat dormant fragrance of roses, the scent of both flowers had overpowered the one belonging to the gunpowder, entwining into scent of metal in a volatile combination. 

In Kaname’s opinion, it suited her far better than the muted scent she used to have before. 

“I have accepted your transfer into the night class and dorms” the pureblood said, finally breaking the silence by bringing up the reason why Zero was in his office in the first place. The silverette looked at him, her expression not changing safe for an elegant silver eyebrow that rose towards her hairline. 

“Really?” she asked and Kaname reached out for the glass of tablet-infused water on his desk. 

“You sound surprised” he said without looking up at her, swishing the liquid around inside the glass as he leaned sideways on the arm-rest of his chair. 

“Hmm, somewhat” she admitted lazily, keeping her eyes on his face.  

“After all, I expected you would take much longer to make a decision, which would have been rejection because you’d want to use me as Yuuki’s shield for however long you could and kill me once I lost my value” she spoke words Kaname couldn’t deny. The pureblood took a sip of the liquid in the glass, not really tasting the frankly lacking taste of the blood tablet, before he put down the glass again. 

“You are hardly any good to me as Yuuki’s shield if you fall to a level E” he responded without mentioning anything related to the last part of her statement and Zero hummed as she finally took her hands out of her pockets. She strode forward slowly, her gaze locked on the chessboard placed on the corner of the pureblood’s desk and the pureblood’s gaze locked onto her. He took in her elegant movements, the delicate yet sharp features of her face, the long slim fingers as they reached out to pick up the horse peon, the colour of the marble matching the tone of her skin. Kaname watched her move the chess-piece around in her hand smoothly until he could no longer see it, his attention instead drawn to the huntress’s back that was turned towards him as she leaned back against the desk, partially sitting on top of the edge and her hair. 

“Level E, huh” she said thoughtfully something in her voice drawing the pureblood’s attention as he looked up at the back of her head, noticing the pastel green flat woven cord wrapped around the base of her ponytail. He tried to follow the hint of colour he could see sticking out against the silky silver strands but was soon distracted by the curve of her slender, tattooed neck. He wondered if he would be able to touch his own fingertips together when he wrapped one of his hands around it. 

“Let’s cut the crap, Kuran” Zero said, shaking the pureblood out of his dark thoughts. 

“We both know I will not be falling to a level E. You saw the marks in her neck when you killed her” she said without looking over her shoulder at the man who shifted to sit up straighter again, entwining his fingers while letting his elbows rest on the arm leanings of his chair. 

“That is a bold accusation to make. Do you have any proof of what you are saying?” he asked, keeping his voice and expression levelled. It unnerved him to be called out about his deeds so bluntly since none of the people he surrounded himself with would ever dare to do so. It didn’t matter if it was just a suspicion or if they had actually seen something, they would not dare to confront him about it. Not the students under his control and not the vampire council. His inner circle might, depending on who it was. If any of them confronted him, he would still have been free of worry and unease. But this was Zero, who was neither a member of the vampire society he could pull rank on, nor one of his inner circle who were loyal to him. This was Zero, who cared little for the rules and would shoot him just because she knew it would not kill him and he could not complain to anyone without raising suspicion. He was rightfully nervous and it angered him considerably. 

“I don’t, since I was not around to see her last moments” Zero said, finally looking over her shoulder with a calculating glint visible in the corner of her eye. 

“But there are only two types of people who would dare to kill a pureblood. One is the hunter out for revenge, desperate enough for it to stop caring about the rules. And the other one is another pureblood who can bend those rules and who nobody would dare to accuse” she said before turning her gaze back towards the horse in between her fingers. 

“And as I said earlier, I was not around to see her last moments so we both know it wasn’t me. Which leaves the only pureblood present at the time. It’s all pure logic thinking, really. Besides, how the hell could a lowly level D kill his own master, a being that is almighty in their eyes?” she asked in a surprisingly light tone, as if she was unaware of how tense her words were making the pureblood. She even had the gall to scoff. 

“You’re lucky that stick is so far up their asses, it’s blocking out their common sense. Even if I went to them to declare my innocence, they worship you too much to listen to reason” she said, implying that she would do nothing with her knowledge. However, Kaname was not convinced. 

“What will you do now?” he asked, trying to get a better understanding of her motives and regain the control that had slipped out of his finger. Something he wasn’t used to. 

“Nothing.” The answer surprised him. 

“I can’t say I’m blameless either, considering I shot her. And not just once either. If I hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been weak enough for you to kill her” she said, both her words and her tone confusing him. Why would she sound sad? Was it a lingering attachment to her master? 

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that I will no longer be manipulated by you” she said almost lazily, her voice drowning out the sound of protesting marble. 

“I will still protect Yuuki, but not because of manipulation or out of obligation, but because she is important to me” she declared as Kaname watched white dust fall onto his desk, the remains of what his chess piece had been reduced to landing in a neat pile. 

“You’ll have to play your games one knight down.” 

This was dangerous. Zero was dangerous. She had always been dangerous, her hot temper and her skill making for a lethal combination. But this strange calm and calculative version of the huntress was even more deadly. After witnessing it once, the pureblood knew he had made the right choice accepting the transfer Kaien had pushed forward. He needed to find a way to control the silverette immediately, before she could slip completely from his grip. 

“I will show you to your room” he said as he pushed himself up to his feet, barely making any sound as he did so. Zero dusted off her hand carelessly as she uncrossed her ankles to push off from his desk. Kaname didn’t need to look back to know the huntress was following him, seeing her step up next to him instead. If he had to be honest, he preferred that over having her walk behind him. He wasn’t too sure about showing her his back at this moment. Neither of them said a word as they soundlessly walked to the other side of the building, the silence broken only when they arrived at one of the many doors on the third floor. 

“This will be your room from now on” Kaname announced as he pushed open the crème white door to reveal an open plan entrance hall that lead into a decent sized but bare domestic area. 

“The door in front of you leads to your room and the one on the left belongs to your room-mate. For now, it is still empty, but that can chance in the future. Try not to shoot them when that happens” the pureblood warned, not even bothering to step inside the room. He was sure it would not be appreciated, so he remained in the door-opening while the silverette brushed past him to enter the room. 

“You are free to decorate the room as you like but do it on your own costs. A bed has already been prepared, but it can still be changed if it is not to your liking” the Kuran king continued, his tone never changing as he droned off the speech he usually left to Takuma because he was much better suited for welcoming new vampires into the dorm. However, Zero was a special case. Takuma was still unaware of the silverette’s nature, not to mention that Zero made vampires nervous on a good day. He didn’t want to force the blonde to deal with her right after waking up. Besides, after the conversation in his study before, he needed to keep a closer eye on her. 

“This is the woman’s wing, so try to stay on this side of the mansion. I’m sure that was a rule in the sun dorms as well. You can cook for yourself, but we also have a cook who prepares our meals. Breakfast is at seven to eight and dinner is at six to seven. In human hours, that’s-” 

“Breakfast at 19 to 20 and dinner at 6 to 7. I know” Zero cut him off, looking over her shoulder at him. 

“I’m aware of how vampires live. How long do you think I’ve been a perfect?” she asked, though did not expect an answer. 

“Cross pretty much explained everything to me. And if I have any questions, I’ll ask someone” she said as she looked away again and Kaname was glad to be able to wrap this up quickly. 

“You have until cross over to transfer your belongings and settle in. I will be expecting you down-stairs, wearing the proper uniform, when that time comes” he said as he took a step back, shifting his foot in the direction they had come from as he gave the silverette’s black uniform a pointed look. 

“Understood, Kuran-sempai. I’ll try not to wake anyone up as I move my things” Zero answered, feigning the usual politeness in her usual cool tone that was only slightly threatening. It was veiled enough for the pureblood to ignore. 

“Please do” the brunet responded before turning away at the same time the huntress did. It was hard to believe that this was the easy part of the evening. Now, he would still need to inform the other students of their new transfer student, one that had scared all of them at one point in time. The lower-class vampires would accept it without question if he asked them to, but his inner circle was a different matter. Each and every one of them had been held at gun point before, threatened to be shot by a person who did not make any empty threats. Kaname doubted Zero would even part with her beloved bloody rose, even now that she had transferred. In fact, she might cling to it harder, since she was surrounded by the very beings she hated. 

That was probably what surprised the pureblood king more than the actual transfer, the fact that Zero had agreed to it. Not to mention that she was going along with it without causing a scene or throwing a tantrum. Kaname had expected at least three threats of mass-murder and one of suicide, but none of the sort had come. Yes, there had been one threat, but it had been a veiled one, not to mention one that hadn’t threatened his life. It could hardly be counted as resistance. Compared to what he had expected, the huntress was almost easy-going about this whole transfer, resigned to what she couldn’t change despite how hard she had fought her transformation to vampire before. Perhaps her transition had mellowed her out, but that was highly doubtful. The pureblood was fully aware of Zero’s kindness, had used it to manipulate and control her often enough, but kindness didn’t equal mellowness. Mellow was the last thing anyone would associate with the huntress. 

“Can I have everyone’s attention” Kaname spoke up at the bottom of the stairs, not even needing to raise his voice to get the attention of the vampires gathered in the entrance hall that was decorated with a few couches and a table even when they had a common room further inside the building. As expected, his inner circle stood closest to him, looking just as expectant as the other vampires behind them, remaining silent as they waited for their leader to continue. 

“I know that it has only been a short while since we had a new student transfer in, but we have another student who has joined us today” he said, the students sharing a look but only a few of them daring to whisper questions at each other which they weren’t able to answer. Kaname allowed them a little time before gaining their attention again. 

“This student is a little different from you all, since she transferred to the night class, not from a different school or from home-schooling, but from the day department” he added, the whispers gaining in volume as the eyes of his inner circle widened. 

“You don’t mean!” Aidou started, taking a step forward without finishing his sentence. The pureblood narrowed his eyes at the blonde, recognizing the realization in his blue eyes. So, the aristocrat knew who it was. It seemed like Kaname would need to ask about how he knew later, after classes. 

“I’m sure everyone of you already knows her or knows of her since she is rather notorious among us, but I hope that you won’t harm her in the same way that I hope she will not harm you. She is aware of the rules and I hope you will stick to them as well. If you do, I’m sure none of you will have any problem with her” the pureblood continued, though that was the best-case scenario. He couldn’t predict how Zero would react in the night class, but he also couldn’t predict how the night class would react to her. Judging by Aidou’s reaction, it wouldn’t be good. 

“Can you tell us who it is, Kaname-sama?” Ruka asked curiously as the pureblood spread his senses, confirming that he wouldn’t need to answer vocally, merely looking up at the top of the stairs to see the mentioned transfer student walk around the corner. It was a strange sight to see the vampire huntress wearing white, the colour only enhancing her pale features. It was rather amusing how only the colour of the uniform had changed. Not the black socks that stopped above her knees, not the skirt that brushed the middle of her alabaster thighs, not the waistcoat that fitted loosely around her frame, not the red ribbon that was barely tied underneath the collar of her dress shirt that was left slightly unbuttoned at the top, not the blazer that was left open and certainly not the hilt of the gun holstered underneath her arm, the silver chain subtly catching the light before it was hidden again. 

“Kiryuu?!” 

Kaname had expected the outburst. He had also expected some of the vampires to startle, taking a few careful steps back even when the silverette was nowhere close to them. He had expected the glares and the killing intent from his inner circle. But he had not expected to see someone smiling, as if he was pleased with this development. Maybe even happy. Then again, the pureblood had noticed how friendly the new vampire was with the huntress. It was impossible not to notice how close the silverette allowed the tall raven to get to her, especially since no other vampire was ever allowed to get that close without running into the barrel of her gun. It seemed like Aidou didn’t even need to be close to her to find himself on the other side of the huntress’s gun, the swiftness of the draw making the vampires scatter away from her. It was only then that Kaname noticed the ice coating the stair Zero had just stepped on, crawling up her booted foot up to her ankle. 

“I don’t plan on cause trouble, Aidou-sempai” the silverette said, her voice traveling through the room, bouncing off the walls even without her raising her voice as she lifted her gaze to level the blonde with a look cold enough to rival the ice that encased her foot. 

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t either” she continued and Aidou narrowed his eyes, the ice crawling further up the silverette’s leg. 

“If you didn’t want any trouble, why did you transfer?” he asked and the huntress’s gaze hardened into a glare. 

“Isn’t that obvious? I thought you were supposed to be a genius” she responded and Ruka took a step forward towards her, mindful for the line of ice that crept across the marble floor towards Zero’s location. 

“The night class is for vampires, not hunters. You can’t possibly be stupid enough to have forgotten that” she said and the silverette’s eyes lit up bright red. 

“You think I don’t know that?” she snarled, her upper lip pulled up to reveal the sharpened fangs, the scene intimidating enough to make the vampire standing closest to her stumble back a few steps as fast as they could. 

“I know you can’t stand the mere idea of me and trust me, the feeling’s mutual” Zero said, her voice still harsh but her eyes returning to that cold lavender they were all familiar with. 

“I want to be here just as much as you want me here, but too bad for both of us because it is what it is. I can’t undo what I’ve become and I can’t stay in the day class either. So instead of getting angry because I’m here, why don’t you just pretend that I’m not and I will do the same” she said, shifting her foot and letting the ice shatter noisily in the silence that followed her statement. 

“Just think of me as air that will blow you over if you break the rules. Night class or not, Cross is still counting on me to be a perfect. If I catch any of you eyeing day class students to feed on them, you’re getting shot. Besides that, I don’t plan on involving myself with any of you” she said, continuing further down the stairs. The students backed away from her the closer she got, leaving a wide arch around her empty. But while they were scared of her, Aidou and Ruka were fuming, clearly not satisfied with being told they would be ignored. Neither of this was a surprise to the pureblood who was more intrigued by the tall raven that practically jogged up to the silverette, falling in step behind her with a small smile on his face as they walked up to the heavy front doors. 

“W-well, isn’t it about time for crossover?” Takuma asked, looking up at the pureblood with a wobbly smile, trying to go with the flow and not let the situation affect him, but it was obvious that he was completely caught off guard. He was struggling to keep up with the information thrown at him, just like many of the others. 

“Yes, we should go. Our teachers will not appreciate being kept waiting” Kaname said, taking the last steps down the stairs as he heard the door open, the huntress and the new student exiting the building first. 

“I can’t believe this! How dare she?!” Ruka hissed as she trailed after Kaname and Takuma, flanked by Aidou who was fuming just as hard. 

“She just shows up here, announcing that she’s a vampire and that she transferred into our division, and we just have to agree with it?! Impossible!” the ash-blonde complained and the ice-user next to her nodded fervently in agreement. 

“‘I don’t plan on getting involved with any of you beyond my duties as a perfect’, who does she think she is?! That she can come here and expect us to ignore her when she goes pointing guns at us? How can we ignore something like that?!” he asked, trying and failing to mimic the huntress’s voice. Kain, walking behind them, sighed as he looked away from his cousins. 

“You froze her foot first. It’s not like she had no reason to take offence” he reminded the blue-eyed blonde who glared up at him for pointing out the truth. 

“I agree with Kain. She didn’t even do anything and yet you went ahead and attacked her. She just defended herself” Shiki pipped up from behind them, his expression never changing as he munched on a pocky stick. 

“Kaname-sama, do you know which class she’s in?” Takuma asked, raising his voice to stop Aidou from retaliating and starting a discussion he wouldn’t be able to win. Not when he was undeniably in the wrong and in front of the entire night class student body. 

“Ours” the pureblood answers, dropping another bomb that would cause Ruka and Aidou to explode. 

“What?!” Ruka asked while Aidou shook his head in denial. 

“No, that’s impossible. She’s a second year, right? She can’t be in a third-year class” he pointed out and Kaname glanced back at them. 

“After she was adopted by the chairman, she refused to go to school for an entire year, so she a year older than Yuuki. She took the entrance test for the third year and had full marks on every subject, so she was allowed to skip the rest of the second year and enter our class” he explained and both blondes grimaced. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me” Ruka said and Aidou shook his head, once again in denial before he blinked. 

“You know what, that actually doesn’t surprise me all that much. It’s not like she has anything to do besides study, right? It’s not like she has any friends” he said, earning a less than amused smile from his cousin and Takuma. 

“That’s rude, Aidou. You don’t know if she has any friends or not. It’s possible that she has a few of them” he said and the ice-user scoffed amused. 

“With that personality of hers? I doubt it” he said and Ruka chuckled in agreement. 

“That new guy looks pretty friendly with her” Kain pointed out, looking over at where the silverette stood with the new student. The huntress looked amused as she looked up at the raven, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her eyes narrowed slightly in what could be called fondness even when there was no smile to match. The raven on the other hand looked embarrassed, shifting his weight restlessly from one foot onto the other while he rubbed the back of his neck. It was such a strange sight that no-one could look away from it, confused by the scene they never thought to witness. 

“Who is that even?” Aidou asked confused and Kain heaved a sigh. 

“Mizuno Yuuya. He’s been around for a while now and has stolen at least half of your fan club. You really need to pay more attention to the people around you, Hanabusa” he told his cousin who was shocked by the revelation. It was only through experience that Kaname was able to tune him out, keeping an eye on the silverette until he was no longer able to do so without turning his head. Maybe he should start paying a little more attention to this Yuuya as well. As far as he could tell, the raven was a level C, nothing all that special in his eyes. But maybe that was exactly what was needed to regain a bit more control over the huntress. If Yuuki no longer worked to manipulate the silverette, perhaps this new vampire could. They seemed to be close enough, especially when one considered how hostile Zero was towards vampires. 

The question was how far the silverette would go for this Mizuno Yuuya. Would she sacrifice herself for him like she would for Yuuki, or was there a limit to her kindness after all? 

As soon as the doors opened, the pureblood was somewhat surprised by the rush of day class girls, and some guys, that approached them, running over the only perfect that was left. They had nearly passed through the gates despite Yuuki’s best efforts when a familiar voice rang out. 

“If you must really be here, at least get in line!” Zero yelled at the students, startling them enough to stop their invasion of the night dorm grounds. The silverette brushed past the brunet, placing a hand on Yuuki’s back to coax her back onto her feet. 

“Buckle up, perfect” she said, earning a relieved smile from the smaller girl that she didn’t notice as she turned to the fangirls. 

“Y-you’re in the night class?!” one of the day class students asked, finding herself on the receiving end of a sharp gaze from the huntress, discouraging any of the other students to speak up end when they clearly wanted to. 

“That doesn’t mean I can’t give you detention. I’m still a perfect, so get in line before I start taking names. Now” she said, not even having to raise her voice as the sea of humans split up to finally let the night class pass through. 

“Thank you, Kiryuu-kun” Kaname said as he stepped up behind the two perfects, letting his gaze slide from the silverette to his sister, sending her a warm smile. 

“I’m sorry for taking away your partner, Yuuki. I hope your work won’t be too hard from now on” he said and the brunette blushed prettily as her gaze shifted away from him, a hand reaching up to pull on the short strand of hair that ended right below her ear. As expected, her lips curled up in a shy smile, flustered at his presence. Ah, Yuuki. His beloved Yuuki, always so lovely and perfect. 

“N-no, Kaname-senpai. It’s alright” she said before gathering enough courage to meet his gaze, holding up her fist as her smile spread into a grin. 

“I’m strong, so there is no need to worry about me!” she announced and Kaname hummed, responding to the smile as he glanced at where Zero was walking towards the school building with Yuuya in tow. The silverette was looking up at him, adjusting her pace to his. It was subtle, but the huntress walked faster than the raven. At times, Kaname suspected she walked even faster than him. But why would she adjust herself to the younger vampire? Were they truly that close? What  _was_  their relationship? Zero never allowed a vampire to get that close to her, yet now she was talking with one like they were old friends. Were they more than friends? Was that why she had accepted her transfer to the night class so easily? To be closer to the younger vampire? 

Ridiculous. 

Kaname didn’t see why she would. The vampire was not that special. On a subjective level, the pureblood could admit that the raven was handsome in a boyish, rugged way. He was extremely tall, not to mention muscular, his uniform fitting a little too tightly. The length of his hair was unusual but fitted him rather well when one considered the attire he had worn upon arrival. Perhaps the younger vampire had managed to get into her good graces by using his appearance?  

No, that was ridiculous. If Zero was truly that superficial, she would have fallen for him a long time ago. 

“Kaname-sempai?” Yuuki’s hesitant but curious voice drew the pureblood out of his thoughts, his gaze turning back to his fiancée who was looking up at him with wide eyes and a tilted head. Another flush rose to her cheeks as Kaname lifted his hand to land on top of her head, his fingers sliding in between the soft strands of brown as he gave her a small smile. 

“Don’t push yourself too hard. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask me, alright? I’m here for you when you need me” he told her, reveling in the way her cheeks reddened and her eyes glazed over slightly. Yes, this felt right. This was how it should be. This was what he needed to get through his day that had gotten unnecessarily more difficult because of the huntress’s transfer. He would have thanked Yuuki, if she had known why he was thanking her. Instead of saying something, the Kuran prince turned away from the perfect, allowing her to get back to her assignment while he continued to lead the night class to the school building. He couldn’t spot Zero anywhere, not even when he entered the classroom they were assigned, much to his confusion. He wasn’t the only one. 

“Huh? Where did she go? I thought she was walking in front of us?” Takuma asked as he stepped inside the room behind the pureblood, looking underneath the table next to him as if the silverette would be hiding underneath it. 

“Maybe she ran away?” Ruka suggested as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, already moving towards the seat she had appointed herself. 

“Or maybe she doesn’t know which class we’re in” Aidou pipped up before huffing out a breath through his nose as he pulled up his shoulders, his hands raised with his palms upwards. 

“All the better. The less I see her face, the better I feel” he said carelessly and his cousin chuckled in agreement while Kain tried his best not to sigh. 

“Don’t antagonize her too much, Hanabusa, Ruka. If you don’t bother her, she won’t bother you either” he reminded them of the silverette’s earlier words in the entrance hall of the dorms. 

“He’s right. I never had any issue with her since I never spoke to her before” Rima said as she sat down on the hard-wooden bench behind the desk she placed her bag of chips on, Shiki leaning against the table next to her. 

“And the one time I did talk to her, she remained surprisingly civil” he added and Kaname was rather sure that they were the only two who had not been threatened by the huntress. Even Takuma had been threatened, but then again, despite his friendly personality and ability to get along with everyone, he was a nosy fellow. 

“Alright, vampires, get to your seats” a voice spoke up in the door-opening, belonging to their only teacher, Yagari Toga. As always, the man was an unpleasant presence to them, the mocking that seemed to be standard in his voice irking each and every one of the vampires in the room. While having half a classroom full of glowing red eyes full of animosity directed at them would scare everyone else, the number one hunter seemed to revel in pushing their buttons. He probably did. 

“We’ll be starting with ethic today” he said and Aidou scoffed as he tilted his head to rest his chin on his raised palm. 

“We’re missing a student, sensei” he informed to curly-haired human, though no sooner than he had said the words, said missing student pushed open the door, stepping inside the room. Lavender eyes slid quickly across the classroom before they ended on the man standing at the front of the room as she closed the door behind her. Her eyes widened while her brows furrowed together in a quizzically expression, though there seemed to be amusement woven into it as well, something that had most vampires blink in surprise. It was odd, to see an expression different from detest, anger or stoicism on the huntress’s face. At least it was for them. 

“Shut up” Yagari said in a grumbling manner, almost sounding like a warning that had the huntress draw her shoulders up slightly. 

“I didn’t say anything” she responded, only to have the older hunter’s only eye narrow at her. 

“Yet. I can tell what you’re thinking by the look on your face” he said and Zero let her eyes glide down the man’s form. 

“Well, compared to what you usually wear, this is half-way normal” she said and flinched back barely noticeable as the taller man raised hand to let it land on the top of her head, seemingly squeezing as he pushed her head a little lower even when it went easily. 

“Didn’t I say not to say anything?” Yagari asked, though his voice was fond as he ruffled up the silverette’s hair, messing up the top half of her ponytail by pulling the strands in disorder. 

“Get to your seat, Zero. And don’t be late next time, or I’m making you run at noon. My noon, not yours” he said as he pushed away the huntress’s head gently but forceful enough to move it away. 

“Yes, shishou” Zero answered, sounding just as humble as she had looked, the relief visible in the angle of her shoulders and the lack of wrinkles on her forehead. It was a novel sight for every one of them and Ruka and Aidou looked taken off guard by it the most. The silverette however, didn’t even bother looking at them as she took a seat at the desk on the first row, right next to the door. No doubt to be closest to the escape route should she feel the need to get away from all the vampires if it got too much for her. It was a smart position to take in Kaname’s eyes, especially for someone like her, who detested vampires and was forced to share the same room with them. It would be best for her to simply walk away from the situation before she could do something she regretted, which was no doubt why she had chosen that exact spot.  

“Alright, ethics” Yagari said, walking up to the high desk at the front of the class, looking less like he’d rather be somewhere else than in that classroom than usual. Probably because of Zero’s presence. Even without knowing that Yagari was Zero’s vampire hunter teacher, Kaname could tell from the way they interacted that they had a history together. The older hunter tried not to show it too much, to remain impartial, but it was obvious in the way he gravitated towards the silverette, towards her side of the classroom, that he preferred her presence over theirs. Not that they could blame him. Anyone would do the same in his position, wanting to stay close to that which he liked and trusted compared to that which he hunted or at least created what he hunted. 

Not to mention that Zero was one of the few who actually paid any attention to what he was saying compared to the vampires who he had to constantly remind about the fact that they were supposed to listen to him. 

“Zero” Yagari spoke up, stopping the silverette from bolting through the door the second they received the signal for lunch-break. The huntress looked up at her teacher before she sat back down, keeping her gaze on him and not on the students that passed by her, going into the direction she no doubt wanted to go. The smirk Aidou send her on his way out went completely unnoticed, much to his annoyance. He had hoped to get a rise out of the silverette, but no such luck. 

“Ugh, this is why I hate teacher’s pets” he said as soon as they had filed out of the classroom, no doubt still in the huntress’s hearing range. 

“Yeah, completely different from you. Our teachers hated you because you always corrected them” Ruka said where she walked next to Takuma, behind her cousin who had stepped up next to the pureblood. 

“Psh, it’s not my fault I was smarter than them” the ice-user said and Kaname decided to separate from them, slipping away as unnoticeable as possible, which wasn’t all that realistic. Everyone but Aidou noticed, but they let him go without a word, not drawing the bragging blonde’s attention. It was somewhat amusing how the aristocrat was so focused on him but didn’t even notice the brunet’s escape. Kaname was relieve the blonde hadn’t noticed, secluding himself at the back of the building before reaching up for his tie pin to remove it, allowing him to slide the knot of the red fabric lower, enough to undo the top buttons. He closed his eyes as he felt the cold wind brush the newly bared skin of neck and the hints of his collarbones that were visible. 

It had gotten a little bit too hot in the classroom, warmer than usual, and the pureblood knew who was to blame. He also knew that he was the only one who was affected like this, who had gotten hot under the collar instead of nervous at the presence nobody could ignore. To be honest, he hadn’t quite expected it would be this bad. He was aware that he was focused on the silverette, noticing things he shouldn’t be noticing, but this was the first time he had ever spend this long in her presence. That he was able to study her so closely for such a length of time without having to fear being caught staring because most of them had been doing so. However, he was no doubt the only one whose thoughts had been going in a carnal direction. 

“Kaname-sama?” a voice spoke up at the corner of the building, drawing the pureblood’s attention away from his thoughts. He inhaled through his nose, taking in the sweet smell of blood that was mixed with the muted tones of roses, a scent he could finally smell now that the fragrance of her perfume had disappeared. He didn’t have the heart to tell her he disliked how it drowned out her natural scent, not sure such a thing would be considered a compliment or an insult. Vampires never used perfume, their sense of smell too sensitive to stand anything but a person’s natural odor. However, Kaname knew very well that the brunette was only using the manufactured fragrance to please him, something she spend quite a lot of money on. To not use it would be a waste, so he remained silent about it, hoping the bottle would be empty soon and she would not think about buying a new one. 

“Yes, Yuuki? Is something the matter?” the pureblood king asked as he tilted his head in the direction of his sister, a small smile curling the corners of his lips up as he opened his eyes. The young girl looked hesitant to approach him but knew that her just standing there would make things awkward, so she gathered the courage to step from behind the corner. 

“I was actually going to ask you that” she said as she walked closer to him but remained on a considerable distance, one that was greater than the one that was usually between them. Kaname allowed it, knowing that the brunette was uncomfortable for some reason. Her words confused him, making him tilt his head in a manner he had adopted from her a long time ago. 

“Why would you think something is the matter?” he asked and the sealed princess averted her gaze before scratching her elbow, holding onto the limb nervously. 

“W-well, because you seem to be in a bad mood, ever since crossover” she revealed, causing Kaname’s eyes to widen. A bad mood? He? In front of her? 

“Is it Zero? Did she do something to anger you? Did she threaten you again?” the perfect asked, her voice gaining a dry edge at the end, as if she was ready to scold the silverette if his answer was yes. She was even looking in the direction of the entrance of the building. 

“No need to worry, Yuuki. Zero did nothing to anger me and neither did she threaten me” he said before looking away at the forest that surrounded the school building. 

“In fact, she is being strangely docile about her transfer. I expected at least one of our students to be shot, but she even held back from shooting Aidou when he encased her foot with his eyes” he told her and her eyes widened, blinking incredulously. 

“She did?” she asked with so much surprise, it was practically shock. Seems like the brunette didn’t have much faith in her adoptive sister to hold back from going on a killing spree when provoked. Kaname didn’t blame her, he was feeling the exact same thing. 

“But it is safe to say that Zero is the cause of your bad mood, right? Is it the relationship between her and Aidou?” Yuuki asked and Kaname gave her a soft smile without answering. Yes, Zero was the cause for his bad mood, but her antagonistically relationship with Aidou and even the other vampires was the least of his worries. The reason for his bad mood were the thoughts he could not control. Thoughts he would never dare to have about his beloved, pure little sister. Thoughts of the alabaster skin that was visible in the gap between the rim of her socks and the trim of her skirt, something he believed Takuma called a B grade zettai ryouiki. Kaname called it tempting. Whenever he looked at it, he wondered how quick her skin would bruise and how those spots would peek through the gap, showing everyone that someone had been there. That someone had dared to touch her there, hard enough to leave their presence. 

That  _he_  had been there, leaving  _his_  mark. 

It were not thoughts he was supposed to have, but once he caught a glimpse of the skin, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from trailing off. Couldn’t stop himself from imagining what it would be like to dominate her, those legs spread wide, his fingers digging into her hips, leaving more bruises. Or to wrap that long hair around his fist to pull her back and manipulate her into the angle he wished her to be in. To rule over her, watching her squirm in pleasure she didn’t want to have, pleasure he gave her. To hear her cry out loud enough to let everyone hear her. In pleasure, in pain, it did not matter, as long as she remembered to yell his name. That she knew it was him who could give her both, him who dominated and controlled her, and him who could have her whenever he wanted. As long as she screamed loud enough to let everyone else know as well. That he owned her and that she was his to manipulate according to his whims. 

That he was the only one who could touch her as he pleased. He who decided whether she felt pleasure or pain. He who decided when she was allowed to breath and when not, with his hand wrapped around her slender throat. 

Those desires weren’t foreign to him, not even his need to dominate, but he knew that he could not have these thoughts about Yuuki.  _Did_  not have these thoughts about Yuuki. His fragile little sister was too delicate to be able to handle these depraved desires of his. She was supposed to be loved, wholly and purely, and not dominated. She was his fiancée, his beloved little sister. 

He did not know what Zero was. Who she was to him. 

“Do you wish to talk about it?” Yuuki spoke up and Kaname blinked, wondering how he could have spaced out like this when she was next to him. Once again, it was Zero’s fault. 

“I couldn’t possibly burden you with these thoughts of mine, Yuuki” the pureblood said as he looked at her, the mere thought of admitting to having these carnal, beastly desires about Zero making him press his lips together tightly. No, if he ever told Yuuki about these desires, he was sure his sister would be afraid of him. Not to mention jealous and confused. Even he was confused. Why would he be having these thoughts about Zero? Why would he have the desire to drag the huntress into his bed? He should have enough with Yuuki, yet he fantasized about sleeping with Zero. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he was aware that part of it was because he felt like he owned her. Like she was his to do with what he wanted. 

She was  _his_  knight. 

Was it really so strange for him to want to have his way with the huntress, something he believed was his possession? 

If she was his possession, was it not fine for him to do with what he wanted? Was it not fine to handle her in any way he wished? He had been doing so all along, ever since he had laid his eyes on her. He had manipulated her and controlled her, pulling the strings she hadn’t even known had been around her limbs. She had found out about them and cut them, but were they truly cut? She would be back under his control soon enough, so she would belong to him once more. Once again, she would be his to do with what he wanted. 

Besides, it were only thoughts. He had no intention of acting on those desires. He had Yuuki, his little sister and his fiancée. He didn’t need anyone else. These desires of his were just that, temporary thoughts because he could not have who he truly wanted. It didn’t matter what he thought about Zero or what he did to her in his thoughts. As long as he didn’t defile Yuuki with his depraved thoughts, he could think whatever he wanted. Vampires were sexual beings just like humans, sometimes even more so, and Kaname was just a man. He had his desires and he needed a way to get rid of his frustration lest he took them out on Yuuki. Zero was the next best thing. That was all there was to it. He did not feel for Zero what he felt for Yuuki.  

He wanted to treasure Yuuki and he wanted to own and dominate Zero. 

Nothing more, nothing less. 

“Oh, looks like lunch-break is over” Yuuki said as she looked up, the ringing bell breaking the silence. 

“I hope I didn’t keep you from eating…. Food, hopefully. Not blood. If it was blood, I would have to report you to the chairman and-” the perfect started rattling, unable to meet the pureblood king’s gaze. 

“Yuuki” Kaname said fondly, putting a gentle stop to her rant and gaining her attention. She blinked up at him, looking very much like an eager puppy awaiting her command. 

“It’s alright. You don’t need to worry. I wasn’t hungry anyway and I would never bring you in trouble by feeding on a day class student” he responded and smiled. 

“Besides, Kiryuu-kun has made it obvious that she is still a perfect and that she will shoot us if we put one toe out of line” he said and Yuuki huffed, puffing up her cheeks. 

“So she did threaten you!” she said before shaking her head. 

“Honestly, that girl. She’s so violent, I worry that she will never get a boyfriend” she said and Kaname chuckled. 

“I can’t say I disagree with you” he said and once again, his little sister huffed, but this time pleased. 

“Besides, I don’t think I can imagine Zero being together with anyone. But that’s fine. She’ll always have me” she said, looking very much proud of that fact. Kaname narrowed his eyes at her before lifting his hand to ruffle up her hair. 

“You are a good friend, Yuuki. But I have to go now” he said with an apologetic smile, letting his hand come down again. He turned away from her but kept eye-contact for as long as he could, making sure to send her a last smile before he disappeared around the corner. Of course, the peaceful feeling he had received from having Yuuki at his side disappeared as soon as he entered the classroom, hearing Aidou ask him why he disappeared so suddenly. Zero on the other hand, was doing a perfect job of ignoring him. 


	3. Science project.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yagari is surprisingly petty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story , the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

“You want me to do what?!” Zero exclaimed, raising her voice at her teacher despite herself. She wasn’t the only one who was put off by the announcement the older hunter had made. That there would come a day she agreed with Aidou Hanabusa, of all people. Unthinkable. Yet it was happening. 

“Is it because I beat you in sniping yesterday?” the silverette asked as she eyed the hunter sitting on the edge of her desk with a suspicious look. This statement earned her a whack against her forehead, hard enough to agitate the skin, causing it to redden as she resisted the urge to reach up and rub her forehead. 

“I’m doing this because this is a group project and you two are the only ones who don’t have a partner. That’s why I paired you up” Yagari said before levelling the silverette with a sharp look. 

“And your win yesterday was sheer luck and we both know it. Why would I be bitter about that when I know I’ll crush you next time” he said and Zero refrained from pointing out that it wasn’t because of sheer luck only that she managed to take the shot. It hadn’t been all skill either, though. If she hadn’t felt the wind shifted at the last moment, she wouldn’t have gotten the shot either. 

“I don’t care for what reason you paired us up, I don’t want it” Aidou said, drawing their attention to him as looked like he wanted to freeze them on the spot, already having jumped to his feet right after Yagari had made the announcement. The older hunter heaved a sigh as he stood up from the seat he had taken in front of the silverette. 

“Well, too bad” he responded, lifting his book to rest on top of his shoulder as he turned towards the door. 

“It’s just a chemistry project. Don’t get your panties in a twist over it. Both of you are smart enough to sit together for five minutes and come up with something that will get you at least a passable mark” he said before the door closed behind him, leaving his students alone in the classroom without the chance of continuing this discussion in the hope of changing his mind. Honest, if Zero wasn’t used to how my-pace the man was, she would probably be tugging at her hair like Aidou was, screeching in annoyance through his clenched jaw. Takuma was trying to calm the blonde down while the others were smart enough to let him have his moment of drama. Ruka did take the chance to glare at the silverette who gathered her books in her hands while she moved to stand up. 

“You!” Aidou called out, childishly pointing a finger at the pureblood who gave him a sideway look. 

“If we are stuck doing this, there is no way I’m settling for just a passing mark! I haven’t had anything less than full marks since I was three and I don’t plan on starting now! Do you hear me?!” he exclaimed and Zero straightened up, holding her books against her hip. 

“Loud and clear even without you yelling. I don’t need a hearing aid yet” she said, stepping out from behind her desk. 

“Come to my room later so we can decide on a subject” she said without looking over her shoulder, not giving the blonde the opening to talk back as she slipped out of the classroom. She wondered if she was a little too much like her teacher, but shrugged it off. She was trained by him, so it was no wonder she picked up on some of his habits. It was unavoidable when you spend a lot of time with someone. Besides, she could have inherited worse habits besides doing her damage and leaving without looking back. For example, his shitty sense of fashion or his smoking habit. For one, Yuuki usually picked out her clothes and what considered the smoking, she had tried and tested it but wasn’t impressed. 

To be honest, Zero never expected Aidou to actually show up, thus she had taken a little longer with her nap in Lily’s stall. Clearly, this was not appreciated. As soon as the blonde caught sight of her walking down the hallway, he pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against, a scowl on his face as he regarded the pureblood. 

“Where the hell have you been, Kiryuu?! You told me to come here to decide on a subject, and then you have the nerve to make me wait for half an hour!” he exclaimed and Zero didn’t bother to stifle her yawn, hiding it behind her hand as she stepped past the blonde to reach for her doorknob.  

“Shut up. I fell asleep” she said as she pushed open the door of her room. In the corner of her eye, she saw him reach up for her hair, barely feeling him tug on a few of the strands. 

“In the stables?” he asked in disgust as he held up the piece of straw he had taken out of her hair. The silverette merely hummed in answer as she entered her dorm-room, stopping in the entrance hall to take off her shoes before continuing on her sock, glad Aidou had the sense to take off his slippers as well. Dirt was immediately visible on the pale oak floor and she was not in the mood to clean just because the blonde had no manners. 

“You have a room with two separate bedrooms? Why do I get a room with only one bedroom?” the aristocrat asked, more than a little envy in his voice as he spotted the third and second door on the left side of the room, by-passing the door to the toilet in the hallway. 

“Would you want to share a bedroom with a hunter?” the pureblood asked him as she removed her blazer, throwing it on top of the cerulean blue rectangular dresser with long silver ornamental door-handles that were separated into three pieces for each drawer. It was the only splash of color in the room. 

“You still aren’t finished with decorating? It’s been more than a week since you moved in here” Aidou said as he looked around the living area curiously, changing the subject so he didn’t have to admit she had a point. Zero huffed as she unbuttoned her waistcoat, maneuvering out of it without taking off her holster. 

“It’s fine like this. It’s not like I spend much time in here anyway” she said, having decorated the room with two deep-seat couches made from a subtle Victorian ash frame with linen pillows, one in a pale beige color and the other a barely dusty pink. A soft grey arm-chair stood in the corner with a velvet pastel pink pillow in it and a knitted pink-tinted blanket draped over it. It was the one thing Zero had taken with her from Kaien’s residence, so obviously it was the place she chose to sit in the most. The chairman had insisted on shoving a few plants in her arms, though they were anything but small. Luckily, they didn’t take up too much space despite their height, but they were still larger than the round wooden table that stood in between the couches. The walls were white and bare, not a single picture or painting in sight. Zero didn’t want to leave too much of her own taste behind. Her bedroom was full of it, enough for an entire house. 

“Seriously? I couldn’t imagine living in a space this bald” Aidou said as the silverette pulled her shirt out of her skirt, letting the ends drape over the waistband while pulling the red ribbon from below her collar. 

“Did you come here to criticize my taste or to pick a subject for our project?” she asked, reaching down to open one of the drawers of the drawers to reveal a fridge that was filled with drinks and snacks like pudding, yoghurt and chocolate. 

“Drink?” she asked as she pulled out a bottle of water and a cup of rice-pudding, picking out a plastic spoon from the compartment next to it. She looked up to see the blonde take a seat in the biggest of the two sofas, looking up at the ceiling even when he closed his eyes, making himself at home. 

“Strawberry flavored water or lavender tea” he said and Zero reached into the fridge. 

“Water it is” she said, pulling out an extra bottle before closing the drawer with her side. She tossed the bottle at the blonde and didn’t listen to his complaints as he scrambled to catch the carelessly thrown object before it could hit him in the face. She may or may not have been aiming for it, but who would dare to accuse her when her gun was still on full display? Aidou wouldn’t, though he did grumble a bit about it, no doubt aware of what her intention had been. She walked over to her chair, plopping down in it before pulling her legs up next to her. 

“So, the subject of our assignment” the pureblood said as she placed her bottle of water down on the tiny table next to her chair, bringing them back on the subject why the aristocrat was in her dorm-room in the first place, wishing to get him out of it as soon as possible. 

“How about I just do everything and write your name on the assignment when we are done?” the blonde suggested and Zero narrowed her eyes at him as she tore the lid off the cup. 

“Yeah, if I was anyone else, that might have worked. Regrettably, shishou knows my handwriting and the way I construct my sentences. We won’t get away with it” she said before looking down. 

“Besides, there is no way I am letting you do everything. You’ll keep reminding me of it for as long as I live if I do. So, we’ll chose a subject and each do our part before combining it to the end result. Sound good?” she suggested as she licked the pudding from the lid, levelling the ice-user with a dry look. Blue eyes blinked, wide and startled as his lips were parted, gaping at her in surprise. Zero waited for an answer and became impatient when she didn’t receive one even after an entire minute passed. 

“Come on, vamp, we don’t have the entire night” she urged him and Aidou seemed to shake out of his daze, his head shaking lightly. 

“R-right. I just expected you would shove everything onto me like everyone does” he mumbled under his breath before he focused on the silverette again. 

“So, a subject, I’ve got several of them in mind, but it sound like you’ve got a few of them as well. Let’s hear them” he said and Zero shifted until her ankles were crossed, her knees resting against the arm-rests of her chair. Luckily, she wore a pair of shorts underneath her skirt, or she’d be flashing the blonde her underwear. 

“Well, the only rule we have to follow was that we were supposed to try something that is suitable for our level of knowledge and something that challenged us to try something we haven’t before and something that would help vampires fit in with human society. It doesn’t matter if we fail or succeed, as long as we explain what we have done and where we went wrong, in case we fail” she said and Aidou scoffed. 

“I don’t plan on failing” he said and Zero hummed. 

“Something we agree upon. Now, for the subject, I was thinking about something among the lines of making blood tablets usable for level D vampires, creating a sun-lotion strong enough for vampires to use. Contact lenses that are sun-resistant but don’t hinder our night-vision” she summed up a few suggestions, at least one that had Aidou’s eyebrows rise. 

“Wait, what do you mean blood tablets that are usable for level D vampires? Is there a problem with them?” he asked and the silverette looked up at him. 

“I don’t know if it was just me or not, but I couldn’t keep ‘em down. It didn’t matter how starved I was or if I had just drank blood, I puked them all out within fifteen minutes of ingesting them” she said and the blonde frowned. 

“That’s odd. I’m sure the scientists kept level D vampires in mind when they created the recipe of the tablets. Did they go wrong somewhere?” he asked, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself. 

“Maybe I should add that my transformation wasn’t complete and that my transition took years, not to mention this that was slowing down my transition even further by suppressing my vampire side” she said as she tapped the tattoo in her neck before shaking her head. 

“But unless that’s the subject we’re choosing, I’m not talking about it anymore” she said and Aidou looked up again before shaking his head. 

“No, it would be wrong to use this as a project. It’s a serious problem we’ll need to tell Takuma about. If we can figure out what’s wrong and what can be done about it, Takuma can inform the scientists at his laboratory” he said, looking like he was going to bring it up on a later time again. 

“Your idea of sun-resistant make-up is something that already exists, but not many can be bothered to use it because it feels unpleasant. The contact lenses are possible, but I’m not sure if we can manage to create them because we don’t have the needed equipment to do so and I don’t know where we can have access to it. It’s not very realistic considering our skill level” he said before sitting forward, resting his elbows on his spread knees while looking at the ivory printed faux cowhide rug underneath his feet. 

“I was thinking more among the lines of substances that can help suppress a vampire’s blood thirst, even if only temporarily. For most vampires, that’s a big problem because it makes them anxious and stops them from going out, even if they had sun-resistant make-up and contacts lenses” he said and Zero hummed in agreement. 

“It is quite stressing to be surrounded by humans when you’re thirsty” she admitted mindlessly and Aidou looked up at her, the questions written on his face. The silverette was grateful that he didn’t voice them and instead ignored them as if he found nothing strange or odd about her being a vampire. As if she had always been one. Zero had the feeling the blonde had known something before the silverette’s transfer because besides Yuuya and Kaname, he was the only one who had not looked surprised by her presence in the night class. He was smart, not to mention nosy. That in combination with the fact that once something caught his attention, he couldn’t let go, made it unsurprising that he would connect the dots and figure out that Zero had been struggling through a transition. 

“Creating substances that can suppress a vampire’s blood lust might be a step too far for just the two of us, but maybe we can try to find something that eases a vampire’s anxiety. Anxiety is something that worsens the blood lust, so if we can take that away, it might be easier to let go of that hunger and put it aside” the aristocrat suggested and Zero thought it over before giving a hum. 

“Sounds good. The problem is what direction you want to go in. Do you want to try pills? If so, in the direction of Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication, or Ritalin, a drug that increases attention and decreases restlessness. You can also go in the direction of a tea, like medicinal tea or herbal tea. Maybe a scent, since vampires are sensitive to those, which might work faster than pills or teas” she said and Aidou hummed thoughtfully as he pinched his chin, his gaze averted back to the rug as he looked at it with a frown. 

“Pills sound like a logic option to choose, but it can be confused with the blood tablets. Tea is not something everyone would want to drink, so it would have a limited target audience. Scent is a good idea, but the problem is making sure it doesn’t lose its effect in the open air” he said, his frown deepening before looking up again. 

“Do you have something to write here?” he asked and Zero jerked her chin at the dresser against the wall behind the blonde. 

“Lowest drawer” she said with no intention of getting up. If Aidou was going to act like he was right at home, he could get up to get the things he wanted himself. Though it was rather strange, for her to tolerate the blonde’s presence as he went through her stuff without feeling the urge to shoot him or at least threaten him. She didn’t feel comfortable enough to take off her holster yet, but she was at ease enough to have a normal conversation focused on their project, without getting annoyed with the aristocrat. However, that stopped as soon as the blonde handed over the papers of her side of the assignment. 

“God, why did we take so long to get to this point. If I had been doing this on my own, I would have been half-finished already” he complained as he rubbed the writing cramp out of his hand. Zero sniffed sharply through her nose as she lifted her bottle of water to her lips. 

“Half-finished, my ass. You’d be stuck doing everything on your own and your partner would have ended up getting half of the credit for doing nothing” she pointed out and Aidou glared at her. 

“Yeah, well, it would have been better than being paired up with you. At least then I wouldn’t have to fear getting shot with every word I say” he shot back and the silverette narrowed her eyes. 

“This is why I didn’t want to be paired with you. You’re the most annoying vampire of the entire night class. The reason you fear getting shot with every word you say is because you say too damned much of them. Do you have any idea how much you nag? If you’d be a little less dramatic, I’d be less annoyed into drawing my gun on you” she said and Aidou scoffed. 

“Do you really believe that yourself? You’d draw your gun on a tree branch because it dared to hang in your way. You’re even more violent and eager to draw blood than a level E vampire” he said and Zero’s narrow-eyed gaze turned into a full-blown glare. 

“Get out” she said, not even making it a request but not bothering with making it an obvious threat either. Aidou had enough survival instincts to notice it when he was half a second away from being killed. The blonde huffed haughtily as he turned on his heel. 

“Bitch” he spat out on his way towards the door, causing the silverette’s eyebrow to twitch. 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

“You’re late! Again!” the blonde aristocrat exclaimed as Zero entered the school’s laboratory, her black trench-coat billowing around her ankles as she rounded the corner, her nose buried in the collar of her black turtleneck sweater to block out the putrid smell that she could smell a mile away from the building. 

“The hell happened here?” she asked, already moving to open up a window to let out the smoke before she even thought about removing her coat. Aidou grimaced as he looked at the glass flasks in front of him, the origin of the dark cloud of smoke that caused the filthy smell that nearly made them gag. 

“I messed up” he admitted and Zero scoffed as she turned back to him. 

“You don’t say. What did you do? From the smell of it, I’d say it was something with lavender” she said as she shrugged off her coat, draping it over one of the swivel chairs that stood at the bench the vampire was using. Aidou drew up his shoulders, glancing up as he watched the silverette remove her holster to replace it with a lab coat as she walked closer to him. 

“I was trying to make the scent better, because even if it works, if it doesn’t smell good, nobody will use it” he answered and Zero hummed as she placed rose on the desk within hand reach but away from what they were doing. 

“You have a point there, but lavender is something you like. Personally, I hate it if it smells too strongly. Did you add it in oil form or the petals?” she asked, waving away the smoke to take a closer look at the concoction. 

“Both. The stronger it smells, the better” Aidou answered, earning a dry look before the pureblood shook her head. 

“Like I said, if you add too much, it’ll smell too strongly, not to mention that it’ll change the substance. You’re not stupid enough to make a mistake like this, not to mention let it burn. Where were you with your mind?” she asked and the blonde wrinkled his nose. 

“Wondering why you are always late. We have a deadline for this project and you skip school” he said and Zero glanced back at him. 

“I was hunting” she admitted, reaching out for the paper tainted by the blonde’s overly pretty scribbles. She doubted the blonde would be able to add even a single letter onto the pages, every tiny margin filled up by his overly pretty handwriting. 

“Since the murder of Shizuka, my disappearance and my transfer to the night class, the VHA is suspicious of me. They’re testing me, so I can’t refuse any assignment they give me unless I want to be locked up” she revealed, scanning the words written on the paper and almost easily making sense of them. Yes, it was a little chaotic, but it helped a lot that Aidou’s hand-writing was easy to read, not to mention satisfying to look at. Besides, she wrote in the same disorderly way. If she could figure out her own papers, she could figure out Aidou’s. 

“Seriously? How many assignments do you get? Like, one a day?” the blonde asked with not a single hint of hesitance. 

“One a day? Are you kidding me? I was send into a nest of them without any backup. There were seven of them. Before that, there were two more and the first one was at the ass-crack of dawn” she summed up, her gaze hardening at the paper as if it was to blame for everything. 

“And that was only today” she added and could hear Aidou choke on his own saliva. 

“Are you kidding me? That many?” he asked and the silverette shrugged. 

“Less than yesterday, when there were a total of sixteen. They were all over the place and it was well into the afternoon, human-hour, when I was finally finished tracking them down” she said and the blonde frowned. 

“When do you eat? Or sleep?” he asked and Zero straightened up, stifling the yawn that crept up on her at the mention of sleep. 

“I swallow some tablets before I left this morning” she said and picked up an empty test tube. 

“You’re not wrong about the scent, but we’ll need to find a way to incorporate it without losing any of the effects. Lavender is fine if you want to use it, but let’s add another scent to balance it out. Lavender has a strong scent, so maybe we should add some ylang and vanilla. Or perhaps bergamot” she said, bringing their attention back to their assignment. 

“That’s if we’re using oils, right? But how will we incorporate everything else?” Aidou asked, once again focusing on the subject at hand and away from the information the silverette had given him. It was strange, how easily she had talked about her hunt, something she was usually so secretive about. Perhaps it was a combination of how bluntly she was blurting out insults to Aidou’s face and how easily they conversed when it was about their assignment.  

“We could also try making our own frankincense or incense powder? I have a burner in my dorm-room we can use. One of those old, big ones” she said and the blonde’s eyes widened. 

“Are you serious?! Why didn’t you say so sooner?! Do you know how much time we’ve wasted?!” he asked incredulous and Zero huffed as she reached out for the previously prepared mixture that was the base of their vampire anti-anxiety drug. 

“You were the one who wasn’t sure whether to use oils or something different. I was assigned to explain how we reached the anti-anxiety mixture and you would do the last steps of how we got the end result” she pointed out, reminding him of how adamant he had been about creating the finished product. Aidou grimaced as he stepped up next to her, giving her a shove with his elbow just because he stood close enough to do so and he needed a way to childishly vent a little of his embarrassment. Zero glared at him from the corner of her eye as some of the substance dripped off her finger where it spilled when he had pushed her, retaliating by stomping down on his foot hard enough to earn a yelp. Before the aristocrat could respond even harsher, Zero turned on the Bunsen burner and they got back to work, practically conversing without words. 

“You know, blondie” Zero said, breaking the strangely peaceful silence as Aidou stretched his arms above his head, his spine cracking from where he had stayed bowed over the table for hours, long enough for the sun to be already up when they made their way back to the dorms, narrowly avoiding the day-class students by travelling through the forest. The aristocrat was still wearing his lab-coat, his goggles perched on top of his head. His eyes were half-closed as he hummed tiredly, looking up at her through his lidded eyes. Zero was sure she would leave him where he was if he fell asleep right that second. 

“I’ve noticed this recently but as long as you are talking about our project, I don’t feel the urge to shoot you” she said and the blonde huffed amused, giving her a wry smile. 

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” he asked as he drew his shoulders up, a shiver running down his spine visible. Being tired made him cold, which was especially amusing when one remembered that he could materialize and manipulate ice. 

“As if. I won’t even think of trying to get a compliment across my lips until you prove you can do something other than annoy me” she said and the blonde looked in front of him, a smirk still on his lips. 

“Don’t even bother. Getting a compliment from you would honestly be the most disturbing thing in this world and the next one” he said and Zero, for once, took no offence to his words. She could feel the stretch of her muscles as the corner of her lips curled up ever so slightly. Not in a fond smile, but definitely an amused one. 

Oh no, she was starting to get along with Aidou. 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

“I’m so excited!” Aidou announced as he entered the pureblood’s dorm-room like he owned it, without bothering to knock and almost forgetting to take off his shoes. The last time he had forgotten it, Zero had tackled him to the ground to rub his cheek in the dirt he had tracked inside. She had cleaned it up herself, though. She doubted the young master could tell bleach from soap even if he read the label. She raised an eyebrow at the blonde as he stopped in the middle of her living area, his eyebrows nearly brushing his hairline as he stared at her. There was a flush on his face, his eyes trailing up the silverette’s bare legs to the white button up she used as sleepwear, the top buttons left open to show a hint of her cleavage. 

Zero regretted to admit that this was not the first time this happened, that she was seen wearing nearly nothing by the aristocrat. Once Aidou got comfortable with someone, he became even more annoying. As in, he intruded on them as if everyone was waiting for him to arrive. Last time he had walked in like he owned the room, Zero had worn nothing but a towel and she had beaten him up until even his vampiric healing hadn’t been able to repair the damage until the next day. Aidou had profusely apologized and promised not to do it again. But the very next day, he had forgotten all about his promise, and his beating, and had barged into the pureblood’s room again. 

It was frightening how quickly Zero had gotten used to that. 

“Oh come on. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, bright eyes. Get over it” she said, pulling the towel from around her neck, the damp strands of her hair resting against her back and reaching down to the back of her knees. 

“Why did you shower before I came?” Aidou asked, earning himself a glare he was no longer affected by. He had gotten it aimed at him at least thirty times a day. While still impressive, he had gotten somewhat used to it. At least enough not to be intimidated by it. 

“I can’t predict when you are going to barge in, idiot. And even if I could, I wouldn’t care. If I want to take a shower, I sure as hell am taking a shower” Zero said as she wrapped her towel around the length of her hair again, once more trying to squeeze as much moist out of it as possible. 

“Besides, I think you prefer me showering over stinking of sweat” she added and Aidou raised an eyebrow as he walked up to the dresser to pull open the fridge drawer. 

“You were working out with that Yuuya guy again?” he asked as he took a bottle of soda out of the drawer, taking a bottle of water for Zero as well. 

“I do it six days a week. What do you think?” the pureblood asked dryly as she caught the bottle thrown at her before turning towards the door to her bedroom, knowing the blonde would follow. She could sense him stop in the door-opening, is eyes widening and his mouth falling open. 

“What the hell?” he asked, clearly in shock over the difference between her living area and her sleeping area. Where the domestic area was light and open, practically bald, her bedroom was the complete opposite. Her walls were covered with red wall-paper, patterned with gold roses and birds in an oriental style. A style that was pulled through in the antique furniture and decorations. Where the living area had only two pieces of furniture, her bedroom had seven different closets, all dissimilar yet fitting together in a makeshift way as they were spread around her room against the walls. One of the closets was a dark-wooden book-closet in the shape of a stairs, in the far corner of the room. A second one was a rectangular red lacquered bedside table, high off the ground and with several compartments. That were the only two closets that were not wardrobes. 

The most basic ones were the twin dark-brown wardrobes with brass hardware, medium in size and paling in comparison with the large square closet. The bright red surface was decorated with gold and subtle green patterns of dragons and birds, thinly painted. Another wardrobe was of the lightest wood in the room, still rather dark in color and hand-painted with a large picture of birds sitting on flowers. The darkest and largest piece of closet was no doubt the deep red two-section Japanese storage chest, the upper part with two sliding doors and three drawers underneath it while the lower part was separated in two rows of drawers. However, even that was nothing compared to the grandness of her bed. The bed was bigger than a day bed but smaller than a king sized one, the frame an oriental carved four poster canopy made from reddish mahogany with hints of lighter wood in the decoration, carved in a similar style as the square plaques hanging against the wall, though darker in wood and more floral, forming a large rhombus behind the bed. 

Her decoration was no doubt the most colorful in the room, a gold and bright green fan the size of her arm from the tips of her fingers to the top of her shoulder, hanging against the wall, spread open in all its glory to show the sakura pattern and thin black slats. The twin fans hanging on a different wall were medium in size with the same black slats as the large fan, but gradient lavender to white in color with a gold peach blossom pattern and a white back, showing only the petals without the flowers. A second pair of fans was much more elaborate, barely pink in color with long silk ribbons falling down towards the ground where they hung upside down against the wall. However, the most obvious decoration in her room hung from her ceiling, countless open glass bowls dangling from the ceiling, the colorful paintings on them lit up by the dim lights shining from several round black oriental lanterns with a brass bonsai branch in the gaps. 

“What the hell is going on with all this glass?!” Aidou exclaimed as he looked up at the ceiling, barely remembering to close the door behind him while Zero walked over to one of the twin wardrobes, passing by the one with her pastel green and white peach blossom painted tea set. 

“They’re furin. Wind chimes” she replied as she picked up the melon-shaped incense burner from the top of her wardrobe, holding it out towards the blonde for him to take over. 

“Why do you have so many of them?” he asked, still not looking away from the wind chimes dangling from the ceiling in all sorts of shaped, sizes and color. Some hung lower while others were just bigger. Most were made from class and the few that weren’t, were made from small cast iron bells. 

“The store clerk made a mistake with my order. I picked out five of them and was then looking which ones to take double for Yuuki but decided to just take two of everything. Apparently, the clerk’s everything is not the same as my everything. I bought all the chimes that store had, double, and they didn’t want to take anything back” she said as she picked up the black lacquered two-tier incense ceremony box, decorated with gold flowers and butterflies, taking it with her as she walked over to her bed. 

“I hung up about hundred thirty of them before I got tired” she admitted as she sat down on one of the two red strips of her bed that flanked the black one in the middle, the pillows against the back of the bed matching the mattress. She did not have any covers, preferring blankets and throws that were currently pushed to the side of the bed. 

“Hundred thirty?! You have the patience of a saint. I’d go mad hanging up ten of them” Aidou said as he sat down next to her, placing the incense burned on the wooden foot-bench that was pulled halfway from underneath the bed, used as a step-up. Zero scoffed at his words, knowing she was anything but a saint or patient. 

“If you want one, take your pick. I’m pretty sure I still have a double of, like, seventy percent of it” she said and the blonde snorted in amusement, doing a terrible job at hiding his laughter. 

“Was that shop dedicated to these things or something?” he asked as he watched the silverette prepare the incense burner. 

“Yup” she answered simply, not looking up from what she was doing, using a lighter to heat up the round block of charcoal until it was glowing red, placing it on top of the mound of sand that filled the container. 

“Alright, put the powder on top of it” she said as she blew the charcoal residue off the thongs, looking back just in time to see the aristocrat dump a little more than half of the bag of their home-made incense powder on top of the smoldering block. 

“Not that much!” she said but Aidou waved it off as he closed the brass lid. 

“It’ll be fine!” he assured her and the pureblood heaved a soft sigh as she shook slightly with her head, watching smoke rise from the burner. 

“See, it’s working!” the blonde said and Zero leveled him with an annoyed look. 

“It’s not about it working or not. It’s about the strength of the effects” she said and the blonde shrugged as he continued to watch the burner standing in between their feet. 

“We’ll know soon enough” he said, and how true he was. The home-made incense worked fast, filling her room with a soft florally scent that was mixed with earthy hints, nearly overpowered by a deep leafy fragrance. It worked calming, alright. But that was not the only effect it had. 

“Uh, Zero? Why do you have a knife in your room?” Aidou asked as he held up a dagger, a little larger than the length of his hand with a white handle and a golden hooked guard. Zero looked up at the dagger in his hand from where she had laid down on her bed, her head supported by one of the small round pillows while her hands were entwined and resting on top of her stomach. 

“Because it makes me feel comfortable” she said as she watched him lay the dagger back down on the place where he had found it. 

“Comfortable? With weapons around you?” he asked as he practically floated around her room. Despite his seeming energy, his eyes were half-lidded, his pupils blown. The pureblood was pretty sure her eyes were no better. 

“More than sixty percent of the things in this room are weapons” she admitted as she watched him pick up the green wagasa with a white swirl, the edges falling away in the shapes of petals as the blonde barked a laugh, trying to find how to open the umbrella. 

“Yeah, right! Next, you’re going to tell me there is a sword hidden in this umbrella” he said, no sooner than the words had left his lips, the bottom-part of the bamboo shaft separated with a click, the dim light of the lanterns catching the sliver of the shirasaya that was revealed. Aidou’s expression remained frozen in a smile as he pushed the handle back, flush against the shaft that acted as sheath, putting the umbrella back where it had been leaning against the side of her bed before a wheezing laugh was pushed from his throat. He stumbled towards the opening in the bedframe while he laughed loudly, sounding a like a mix of a dolphin call and windshield wipers. He clapped his hands in his overwhelming amusement before falling backwards onto the bed next to the pureblood, still laughing until he let out a deep sigh. 

“I think I’m getting dizzy” Aidou said as he looked up at the wooden ceiling of the canopy. Zero turned her head to look at him, feeling more relaxed than she ever had before. Not since family nights with her brother, her father and her huntress mother, her stepmother. 

“Obviously. I did warn you not to put so much on it” she pointed out and the blonde turned his head to meet her gaze. 

“You knew this would happen?” he asked and Zero shrugged, her hands folded on top of her stomach. 

“Not really. You were the one who decided to add the asarum leaf after I told you they had a calming effect on humans. I didn’t know they would work on vampires to this extend” she said and Aidou tilted his head even when it was pressed against the mattress. 

“What do you mean, to this extend?” he asked and Zero closed her eyes again. 

“With humans, the aletris plant is known for its intoxicating chemical called Rhodohyproxis. Rhodo, for short. Asarum has a tiny fraction of it, so little it can’t even be called a component. Something we have added must have heightened the effects considerably, not to mention that our sense of smell is a hundred times more sensitive than that of a human” she explained and Aidou snorted. 

“Did you ever try this aletris when you were a human?” he asked and Zero nodded her head affirmative. 

“Once. I was quite young back then” she answered and opened her eyes when Aidou remained silent, his gaze resting on her profile. She turned her head to meet his gaze, seeing him stare at her with curious eyes. 

“What?” she asked, not exactly uncomfortable, but wondering why he was looking at her like that. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this relaxed before” he said, blinking once, twice, before adding. “You are absolutely gorgeous.” 

Zero barked a laugh before she could even think of stopping herself, turning her gaze back up at the ceiling. 

“I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just that, when you stop trying to slaughter people with your glare, you truly look breathtaking” Aidou told her and the silverette closed her eyes. 

“Thanks, I guess” she said and the blonde hummed, though he didn’t look away from her. Zero could feel he had something else to say but wasn’t sure on how to breach the subject. 

“Spit it out” she said without opening her eyes and could feel the aristocrat shift onto his side, shoving his hand underneath his head. 

“The madly blooming princes turned you into a vampire, didn’t she? Back when your family was attacked?” he asked and the pureblood opened her eyes again, though she didn’t look over at him. For once, the blonde had tried to be tactful with her, something he usually wasn’t. Usually, he would blurt out anything that came to mind without fearing insulting her. It was something she liked about him. However, this considerate side of him that he was showing her, was something she could appreciate as well, especially about this subject. Normally, she would threaten anyone who even thought about bringing up the slaughter of her parents, but for once, she couldn’t even feel an ounce of anger or irritation. She didn’t feel put off by Aidou asking about her past. Perhaps it was their chemistry project that filled her senses and messed with her mind, but she doubted it. 

Slowly but surely, she had found herself changing, becoming more accepting of both her own nature and vampires in general. She had thought she had been okay with her own nature, but it had taken being around others of her kind to hammer home that while she had accepted it, she hadn’t been comfortable. She had lived her entire life as a hunter, trained to hate vampires, purebloods in particular. It was quite hard to feel comfortable with the knowledge that she was exactly what she had spend years hating. She wasn’t quite comfortable yet, but she was feeling better about it every day. Mostly because of Aidou’s presence, strangely. It wasn’t like she liked vampires, but she didn’t hate them either, and neither did she mind the blonde’s company. Partially because he was forcing it on her, but also because it was easy to be around him. He was annoying and arrogant, no doubt about that, but he didn’t judge. Being around him put her at ease because she didn’t need to think about herself. He didn’t treat her any differently than he had before. It was her who treated him differently.  

Perhaps, she could trust him. Perhaps, he wouldn’t judge her if she told him. 

“It’s complicated” she told him, her fingers mindlessly finding sensitive skin at her hip-bone. 

“I am a vampire from birth but had my vampire side sealed away by my grandmother a little while after my birth. I can’t remember anything about it because I was too young. I awoke not too long ago, when I returned to the academy after my disappearance. I needed time to control my powers before I was allowed to return to society without fearing harming anyone or revealing the vampire race to humans” she said and Aidou frowned at her. 

“You were sealed by your grandmother? One of your parents was a vampire then?” he asked and Zero inhaled deeply before turning onto her side to face the blonde, taking on the same position as him. 

“I can’t tell you who my father was, but my mother was Hio Shizuka. I am a pureblood” she revealed, watching Aidou’s eyes widen, seeing the gears turn quickly behind his eyes. 

“W-wait, are you serious? But if the madly blooming princess is your mother, then you are an aristocrat like me. You can’t be a pureblood” he pointed out and the pureblood hummed in agreement. 

“If my father had been a human, a hunter or a lower leveled vampire, yes. But he was a pureblood. I wasn’t aware of it either. Not until I saw my mother’s memories through her blood when she completed my awakening” she said and Aidou shook his head. 

“No, no, no. That’s impossible. We know all the purebloods and the madly blooming princess was locked up for a long time, before you were born. There is no way she could have had a child without anyone noticing” he said and Zero took no offence in his disbelieve. She had gone through the same after all. 

“She did. Do you really think you can keep a pureblood locked up in a place she doesn’t want to be? She escaped, didn’t she? Why wouldn’t she have done so sooner?” she asked, though didn’t expect an answer. Instead, she looked down as she gripped her white shirt, pulling up the hem and drawing the blonde’s attention to the mark on her hipbone, pulling the waistband of her ice-cream printed panties down slightly, ignoring his squeak of surprise. 

“This is a seal that I placed on myself to bind my powers. Every flower represents a layer that I can unseal so I can access a certain amount of my power if I so want to. But considering I want to keep it a secret, I don’t plan on undoing any of the layers” she said before looking up at the aristocrat staring at her middle with wide eyes and a flush on his face. 

“Are you listening?” she asked, tempted to wave her hand in front of his face, her direct addressing of him shaking him out of his daze as he tried to avert his gaze, without much success. 

“S-sorry, I’m just distracted. One, that’s way more skin than I am comfortable with seeing. Two, I can’t believe your waist is so thin! How many inches is it even?! And third, why the hell is there iron in your stomach?!” he asked, his voice raising in both volume and pitch towards the end of his surprisingly short rant. 

“One, grow a pair and deal with it. You’ve seen me in just a towel. Two, last time I measured, which was when I was fitted for my night-class uniform, it was 22 inches, which is still four inches bigger than my father used to be. And three, it’s called a belly button piercing” she said, mentioning the gold and opal barbell that was pierced through the upper half of her belly button. 

“22?! Wait, no, that wasn’t what we were talking about” Aidou said, squeezing his eyes shut as he shifted his hand to hold his forehead. 

“Fuck, I can’t hold a thought” he said disappointed and somewhat annoyed, though it was clearly at himself. 

“And just when you were telling me something serious” he said and Zero hummed. 

“It’s fine. It’s your first time being high, so it’s understandable that you’re confused. If you want, you can take a drop of my blood to confirm my story. Though you need to be careful not to let the blood touch the air. I don’t want the smell carrying through the dorms” she said as she held up her hand in invitation for him. Aidou looked at her hand, a flash of red lighting up his eyes as he bit on his lip before shaking his head. 

“No, I believe you. Your explanation doesn’t sound far-fetched since it sounds pretty impossible to lock up a pureblood. I just find it weird that they would seal you away and keep you hidden” he said and Zero lowered her shirt again, seeing the blonde look a little more comfortable almost immediately. 

“Mother didn’t want me to end up being locked up as well, since I’m partially Hio and they are known for being a little unhinged. My father already confirmed that that won’t happen to me because his blood is strong enough to overpower that family trait, but that still doesn’t change the fact that I’m a pureblood. The last of two pureblood families. If anyone of the ancient council knew, they would keep me caged, just like my mother. Neither of my parents wanted that for me, so they sealed my vampire side” she said and Aidou took a deep breath, his gaze meeting her in honesty. 

“That’s a big bomb you’re dropping on me” he said and the silverette hummed. 

“I’m aware. I am not expecting anything of you either. I know how loyal you are to Kuran and I would never ask anything of you. I already have one servant who is a little too fanatic and if you ever become like that, I would smack you” she said before her gaze softened slightly. 

“But I would appreciate it if you kept this from everyone until you have no other choice. When you feel like you’re caught in between a rock and a hard place, you can tell anyone who wants to hear it. But I would like to keep it a secret for as long as I can” she said and Aidou regarded her as he mulled over her words before smiling. 

“Alright. I’ll keep your secret and I won’t treat you differently. But only if you don’t either. You’re not that bad once you stop acting like a trigger-happy mass-murder” he said and Zero scoffed. 

“You’re still annoying, though” she said and the ice-user smirked. 

“And you’re still a bitch” he shot back without any malice, his statement instead earning a fond smile that was barely there, one she usually only graced Lily or Yuuki with. Sometimes the chairman behind his back. He would never stop crying if she ever showed it to his face, so she had not made that mistake. Aidou seemed flabbergasted, though, his eyes wide and lips slightly parted before they cracked open into a wide grin. A little giggle resounded before it was promptly cut off when he blinked in confusion. 

“Actually, when do you feed? I mean, I’ve never seen you drink blood or even take tablets” he asked and Zero shrugged. 

“I take the tablets, but only when I’m alone. I’m not comfortable with drinking anything remotely close to blood in front of others” she admitted and the blonde made a difficult face. 

“You do realize that’s stupid, right? We’re all vampires here. We all know we feed on blood. That you feed on blood” he told her and the silverette closed her eyes. 

“I’m aware, but it’s a hard hurdle to take after being raised hating vampires. I know that I’m a vampire myself and I don’t hate myself for being a vampire anymore, but it’s difficult to suddenly be okay with openly drinking blood or taking the tablets” she said and Aidou hummed, though he didn’t really understand. Even Zero didn’t quite understand it. She was raised a human and drinking blood was not something they viewed as normal. It was hard to change the way someone was raised. 

“Ugh, I’m hungry. Not thirsty, but hungry. And it’s not because we were talking about blood either, because I don’t feel like drinking blood. I’m completely relaxed but incredibly hungry, and I don’t even know why” Aidou said as he suddenly jumped up into a sitting position. 

“Why is that?” he asked as he looked over his shoulder at her. Zero pushed herself up as well, getting to her feet without revealing how dizzy she was. 

“It’s called the munchies. It’s normal to get like that. You shouldn’t be surprised if you get red-eye later either” she said as she stretched her arms above her head. 

“Let’s get something to eat and air out the room. I guess we can call our test a success” she said and Aidou leaped up to his feet, the furin against the ceiling ringing melodically at the wind he caused in his rush towards the window. 

“Hey, Zero, can I braid your hair?” the ice-user asked as he followed her into the living area again, the smoke hanging around the silverette’s bedroom dissipating quickly now that the window was open. They had designed their incense to loose effect as soon as it came into contact with the outside air, but the effects on their minds would last a little while longer. 

“No” the pureblood answered curtly as she went straight for her fridge drawer, craving something with chocolate and hoping she was fast enough to snatch something up before Aidou claimed everything. 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

“You two do realize you created a perfectly usable drug, right?” Yagari asked as he levelled the two pale-haired students in front of him with a sharp look, neither of them looking very impressed with him. 

“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” he asked and Zero was the first one to speak up. 

“As teacher, you’re supposed to grade us” she pointed out, averting her gaze humbly as her teacher’s eye settled on her. 

“We’ll take a copy of it to one of my family’s laboratories to have it made in larger quantities as an anti-anxiety drug” Aidou informed the night class teacher whose attention shifted to him. 

“You plan on mass-producing drugs and turning your family into drug-dealers” he said, not even making it sound like a question. 

“Medically, of course” the blonde added and Zero looked up again. 

“It sounds better when you call it medical drugs. And while we’re at it, we can make some money out of it as well” she said and the ice-user next to her nodded in agreement. Yagari heaved a sigh as he regarded the two students he had already labeled as his troublemakers. 

“I did this to annoy you. Not to turn you two into friends” he said as he grimaced at them. 

“This kid will never stop annoying me” Aidou and Zero said at the same time, not even looking at each other before they spoke or after they finished, taking it as normal that they had synched up. It was disturbing enough to allow them to leave the classroom without the hunter stopping them, watching how the blonde turned to the pureblood. 

“Now, about making the blood tablets consumable for level D’s. I was thinking-” 


	4. A realy piece of work.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaname's point of view :)  
> PS : I was a bit hungry when I wrote the beginning of this chapter. I apologize for the somewhat detailed description of food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I have ownership over anything but the story, the OC and the grammar mistakes ;)

Kaname usually refrained from eating breakfast with the other students, knowing his presence made it hard for them to feel at ease. Practically impossible, to be honest. The way they worshipped and feared him and his pureblood status, was both instinctual and taught by their society. The only vampires who could stand to be around him for an extended period of time was his inner circle, yet even they feared him. However, they respected him more than they feared his pureblood status. Meaning that they were more at ease around him, which in turn made him more comfortable as well. Not that that was the reason why he had a change of heart that morning. 

“Oh? You’re joining us today, Kaname-sama?” Takuma asked as they ran into each other on the hallway, the blonde pausing to allow the pureblood to catch up with him before continuing together. 

“Yes. I figured it wouldn’t cause any harm if I had breakfast in the dining hall today” Kaname responded and the smaller vampire send him a troubled yet sympathetic smile. He knew the brunet well enough to read between the lines and figure out that he didn’t plan on making a habit of it. He could tell the pureblood had a specific reason for joining them that morning but refrained from asking, not wanting the taller vampire to change his mind. The older man could practically see the sassy comment on the tip of the blonde’s tongue, but he didn’t care to hear it. Takuma swallowed the unspoken words at the king’s sharp, warning gaze, looking in front of him with a tight smile that did very little to hide his amusement. There was only so much smartassery Kaname could take and that wasn’t a lot, even on a good day. It was rather clear that this was not a good day. The pureblood hasn’t had one of those in a little while. 

Not since Zero transferred into the night class. 

He had known she would distract him, but he hadn’t thought it would have been quite this bad. He saw her every day, his eyes seeking her out without his permission whenever he let his guard down or his mind wander. It didn’t use to happen as often as it did now. But then again, he had never been closer to her than he was now. Not that it was  _that_ close. Oh no, he was just watching her from afar, unable to get any closer without getting glared at, seeing her hand twitch as if she wanted nothing more than to shoot him. No, he wasn’t nearly as close to her as their greenhorn, Yuuya, was. And lately, not as close as Aidou either. 

And boy, did that get to him. 

He was the dorm-head, someone who the students of the night class couldn’t help but listen to. He was the one with the most authority in the entire night division, even without his pureblood status that made him ruler of the entire vampire race. Yet she was threating him worse than back when she had been in the day class. She was nearly civil with every other student, friendly with Mizuno Yuuya and practically best friends with Aidou. Yet at the sight of him, she looked a heartbeat away from drawing bloody rose to shoot him in the stomach or legs. Any other vampire would have gotten the mercy of a one-shot kill, but not him. She hated him too much to allow him to die peacefully, wanting to see him suffer. To be honest, he couldn’t really blame her for hating him, not after everything he had done and how he had treated her. She had a good reason to want to shoot him, even when she shouldn’t know why. There was no way she could be aware of how he had spearheaded the slaughter of her family, even if she had drank Shizuka’s blood. A level D was too unskilled, too human, to be able to read another vampire’s blood.  

Zero, while impressive in her self-control, was only a level C vampire who had gotten to that status after taking the blood from her master. She had been too stubborn to ever learn anything about what it was like to be a vampire, too prideful to accept what she was becoming. What she had become. At the level she was at now, she would be capable of learning how to read blood, if only she accepted her own nature. It wasn’t as if she could change it now. What was done, was done, and she could no longer return to being a human. It seemed as if that was something she had come to terms with, but except the flash of her eyes on her first day, she showed no indication of being anything but a hunter. 

Not that it was any of Kaname’s business. 

“Kaname-sama” the students said as if they were one, greeting him by standing up and bowing as soon as he set one foot inside the dining hall. The room designed very soberly yet light despite the dark colors. Dark teal wallpaper with subtle, barely noticeable stencils, was broken up by white half columns that supported the beams on the ceiling that matched the columns and the thin wooden panels covering the lower half of the wall, filling the spaces with vertical lines. Two heavy wooden tables stood on each side of the room, a bench going down the long length of it on each side to provide enough seating for the entire student body and then some. In the back of the room was a fireplace, mostly for aesthetic purpose because the heating in the floor warmed up the entire room more than enough. A golden chandelier hung above each table, lighting up the room with a soft glow that was pleasant to the eyes of the barely woken up vampires while a breakfast buffet was set up on the tables along the wall next to the entrance. 

With a smile that was barely visible and a held-up hand, the pureblood accepted their greeting and gestured them to resume their breakfast. They listened without question, though their conversations lowered in volume, a tension hanging over the room as the brunet turned to the breakfast buffet, picking up a tray. He selected what he wanted to eat easily despite the struggle Takuma faced, filling a plate with a chocolate croissant, a green apple, a cup of coffee and a glass of water. He didn’t bother waiting for the indecisive blonde, making his way towards the head of the closest table where his inner circle was already seated. Well, everyone except Takuma, who was still bemoaning the overwhelming variety the buffet had to offer, and Aidou, who wasn’t even in the room. Shiki was present in body only, his eyes still glazed over with sleep as if he was doing so with his eyes open. Rima next to him wasn’t in a better state, but at least she was more awake and eating. Ruka was as awake as ever, stopping her rant to Kain who sat next to her as the pureblood took his seat. 

“Good morning, Kaname-sama” she greeted him kindly, the adoration in her eyes much better hidden compared to Yuuki’s but present none the less. 

“Good morning” the older vampire responded but directed himself to everyone at the table, including Seiren who remained somewhat aloof from the group, sitting next to Rima. They chorused an answer in various states of awareness without interrupting their breakfast like Ruka had done. Takuma joined them soon after with a variety of food on his plate, already forgotten about everything else the buffet had to offer as he instead asked the others how their night has been. However, before anyone could answer, their attention was drawn to the entrance on the opposite side of the room. 

“Oh, would you just grow a pair? You’re being overly dramatic” the blonde said somewhat exasperated as he walked into room. One of his arms was pulled back, his fingers wrapped around a uniform-clad wrist that belonged to no one other than Zero, a sour look in her eyes but no expression on her face. However, she wasn’t shaking off the ice-user’s hand, allowing herself to be dragged along towards the buffet table. 

“I  _really_  don’t want to hear that from you” the silverette answered, throwing a glance at the room full of vampires that was staring at them while Aidou paid them no attention. 

“And I  _really_  don’t want to be here either” she added, not even bother to lower her voice, her words causing the blonde to scoff. 

“That’s why I’m not giving you a choice. You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Zero. If someone bites you, bite back” he said and that right there was what irked the pureblood. The fact that the blonde so easily called the silverette by her first name without getting glared at. That he could touch her without getting shaken off or a gun pressed against his head. 

“Busa.” And that was even worse. The way she would call him by a nickname. Not his last name, not his first name, but a nickname. It didn’t matter that she had used a sharp, warning tone, it was still a nickname. Not that Aidou listened to the warning. 

“I don’t get why you won’t eat with us anyway. It’s not like anyone is going to poison you. And even if they did, it’s not like it would work” the aristocrat said, looking back at the silverette whose eyes widened, startled at his words. Her expression didn’t change much but the shock was obvious to anyone who looked. Aidou blinked a couple of times before bursting out in laughter that easily drowned out the restless murmur that filled the room, falling silent at the sound to look over in the direction of where the blonde was hunched over, his arms wrapped around his own stomach. 

“Y-You completely forgot about that, didn’t you?!” the ice-user asked through his laughter, regardless of the death-glare he was receiving. 

“You’re lucky I can’t shoot you in front of people, Busa” the silverette grumbled as she brushed past the laughing blonde to pick up a tray. 

“I don’t get it. Why is he laughing so much with her? She’s not even funny” Ruka said as she watched the duo in distaste, watching Aidou pick up a tray to follow after the silverette, knocking his shoulder into hers in a friendly shove. Kaname could easily pick out the hints of envy in both her voice and her gaze, mainly because he felt the same. However, the pureblood was brave enough to do something about it. 

“Aidou” he called out, the silence in the room allowing said blonde to hear him without having to raise his voice, drawing the younger vampire’s attention including that of the others. 

“Will you join us?” the Kuran king asked as he held the blue-eyed gaze that looked at him with hints of confusion. Kaname didn’t need to ask him to sit with them because he always did and everyone knew it. However, it was the newbie vampire behind the blonde he wanted to join them. If he asked her directly, he would be shot down immediately, possibly even literally. 

“Of course, Kaname-sama” Aidou answered and without hesitation, did exactly what the pureblood was counting on. The ease with which he reached back to grasp Zero’s wrist still made the pit of his stomach heat up a few degrees warmer, but he was pulling her with him as he walked over to their table, ignoring the silverette’s struggle. 

“I’ll go sit with-” 

“Nonsense. You promised me you’d try this whole breakfast thing with me. You can have lunch and dinner with Yuuya later all you want” the blonde cut her off without hesitation, not allowing her to weasel her way out of his grasp as she looked away from the mentioned student who sat on the end of the second table, giving the back of the blonde’s head a sharp yet sour look. 

“I don’t remember making that promise” she said, a statement Aidou wisely kept his mouth shut about, no doubt that such a promise indeed had not been made. However, the silverette released a sigh filled with resignation, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling as she allowed the blonde to have his way. While the aristocrat sat down next to his cousin, Zero took place on the bench on his other side, as far away from Kaname as she possibly could. However, she was sitting in the same room and at the same table without threatening him. Progress. Now he just needed to build on that without pissing her off and get her back under his control without her noticing. Who would have thought he would have been able to use  _Aidou_  to do so?  

Until a few days ago, the relationship between them was worse than water and oil. The blonde could not stand the silverette and the feeling had been mutual. The chemistry project they had been forced to pair up for, had caused a 180 to happen between them. Not immediately, but over a short period of time until they were close enough for Aidou to give her one of his shirts. Kaname had caught them in the hallway where the blonde had shoved a pale blue button up into the huntress’s chest, saying something about how it might not be as big or as comfortable as Yagari’s but she would just have to deal with it. Kaname hadn’t understood anything of what was going on and even less when Zero had kept the shirt instead of throwing it back into the blonde’s face. Of course, she could have still shredded or burned the garment when she was alone, but there had been something in her gaze back then that told the pureblood she had done neither of those things. The garment was probably still in her possession in the same condition she had received it in and Kaname didn’t know why. He didn’t like it either. 

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Takuma asked in a disappointed whine, drawing the pureblood’s attention away from his thoughts and to the huntress’s choice of breakfast like the others. Her plate was filled with two round waffles that sandwiched a pancake, the entire stack drenched in a copious amount of syrup. Opposite of the overly sweet and unhealthy breakfast, a bowl was filled with an abundance of fruit. Pieces of dragon fruit, blueberries, blackberries, mango and kiwi formed a satisfying display of vivid color that looked inviting to eat. She had chosen no coffee or tea, but a glass of milk and a glass of water. However, she preferred to lazily focus on finishing her breakfast as quickly and efficiently as possible instead of paying any heed to the attention she had drawn to herself. 

“My food lost its taste” Ruka said with a disdaining look at the silverette as she pushed her tray away, receiving a sharp, disapproving look from her tallest cousin which she pointedly ignored in the same way her statement was ignored by the huntress who she had been trying to provoke. 

“I’ll eat it for you then” Shiki said as he reached out for the tray diagonally across the table where the dirty-blonde haired vampire sat. 

“No need” Ruka said quickly, changing her mind and pulling her tray back to herself before the red-head’s fingers could brush the edge. The young woman kept her gaze on her bowl of yoghurt, stabbing her spoon in it with a scowl on her face while Zero send her a sideway look with a raised eyebrow, proving that she wasn’t tuning them out entirely, keeping half an ear open on their conversation. Kaname wasn’t the only one who noticed. 

“Have you adjusted to the dorm yet, Kiryuu-chan?” Takuma asked, attempting to get the silverette to socialize by opening a conversation while moving his chocolate muffin from his own tray to Shiki’s to console him about the food he had missed out on. Zero glanced up at him before lowering her gaze back to her tray. 

“For as far as I can” she answered, causing the blonde next to her to scoff. 

“As far as you can, my ass. You’ve settled in just fine, haven’t you? Your room looks like you’ll never move again” Aidou said, receiving a sharp look from the young woman. 

“Settling in is not the same as adjusting, Busa. It takes much longer to adjust than it takes to settle in” she pointed out and Takuma hummed in agreement with a smile that seemed to be standard on his face, mostly out of politeness. 

“She’s right, Aidou. Think about what it would be like if you were to transfer into the day class, having to stick to their rules, meaning that you would have to wake up when the sun rises” the green-eyed blonde gave an example of what he meant and the ice-user grimaced at the idea of having to spend the entire day in the sun. He loved to be around humans, but not enough to live like them. 

“The day-night difference was the easiest thing to adjust to. The sun was pretty much a pain in the ass before I even transferred, so changing my sleeping schedule was the least of my worries” Zero admitted, drawing the attention to herself again. 

“The problem is combining my assignments with classes. They tend to fall together” she said, not even needing to spell out what assignments she was talking about, the implication enough to put a premature end to the conversation.  

“I’ve heard from Yuuki that you were a regular skipper and you aren’t hesitant to skip our classes either since you’ve done so before. You’re lucky to have a teacher who understands your absences” Kaname said, trying to sound as neutral as possible because he knew that any other tone would get on her nerves. The sharp look she gave him skimmed the border of becoming a glare but she didn’t voice a response, turning her attention back to her breakfast. 

“Right! Yagari-sensei was your hunter teacher, wasn’t he?” Takuma asked as he turned back to the silverette who switched her now empty plate for her bowl of fruit, looking up at the green-eyed blonde once more. 

“Yeah, he was. Stopped actually teaching me three years ago, though” she said and the blonde tilted his head. 

“Why is that?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious to the point even Kaname couldn’t tell if it was an act or not. He doubted it since the blonde did interest himself in martial arts to a certain degree and hunters received a formal training in it, unlike vampires. Zero seemed to be fine with entertaining the blonde’s curiosity, whether it was a polite lie or not. 

“He was send on long-term missions again and I was send on short term ones, to get into the swing of things. Officially, we haven’t been master and student ever since, but it’s not exactly a bond that can be cut just because a paper says so. He won’t stop being my teacher until the day he dies, in the same way I won’t stop being his students regardless of my nature” she tells, her voice holding more than a hint of reverence and respect, resounding with nostalgia that was both fond and pained. Just by her tone, anyone could tell that they had both good and bad times. 

“So you were fourteen when you started going on missions on your own?” Aidou asked and the huntress gave a hum. 

“The youngest in history, but the Kiryuu’s have always been special. It was thanks to Cross and shishou that the president didn’t send me on dangerous missions, mostly sticking to tracking missions instead of the ones that involved assassinations or detaining” she answered as she stabbed her fork into a blackberry. 

“There are different types of missions besides killing E’s?” Ruka asked, showing that despite her apparent animosity towards the silverette, she was paying attention to what she was telling them. Zero covered her mouth with the back of her hand that was holding her fork, waiting until her mouth was empty to respond. 

“Of course there are. Tracking missions are basically just tracking down level D vampires and observing them to see how close they are to falling to level E. Depending on the report you give, they are put on the kill-list, which usually happens only when they have truly fallen to level E and you can deliver proof. Without proof, they’re not a target” she said, her gaze meeting Kaname’s for a split second before it slid over to Ruka instead. 

“Detaining missions are more dangerous than assassinations. You can assassinate a target from a distance, depending on your skill and the weapon you prefer. Detaining missions force you to get close to a level D or up to capture them. You can already imagine what the results are most of the time” she said and Shiki looked at her, crumpling the wrapper of his free muffin. 

“Have you ever gone on a detaining mission?” he asked and Zero turned her attention to him before giving a shrug. 

“Once. It was one of the calmer ones. We managed to get the vampire to listen to reason because I was there and he recognized me as a fellow former human, but he still injured three of the five hunters that were send to capture him” she said and Ruka scoffed as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. 

“And now you’re torturing him for experiments, right” she said snidely but the huntress remained stone-faced. 

“He’s working at a bakery, raising his son who is in kindergarten” she corrected the dark-haired blonde, her answer surprising pureblood’s the inner circle and the vampires that were sitting within hearing range. 

“He’ll fall to a level E eventually and he knows it, but the hunter mark on him will delay the progress for as long as possible. For as long as he can hold out. We’re hoping he can last long enough until his son can take care of himself, but it’s doubtful” she said morbidly and Kain spoke up for the first time. 

“What will happen to the child once his father falls?” he asked and the silverette glanced at him before directing her attention down to her bowl. 

“Not sure yet. If there had been living relatives, he would have been given to them by his father as soon as the man realized what he was becoming. His love for his son was the reason he was selected to be captured and marked. What happens to the son after the father dies will depend on what he decides and how old he is. If he can take care of himself, he will be supported by the VHA until he can stand on his own two feet, and if he is too young, he will go to a hunter’s orphanage until he is of age. Every child of the D’s and E’s are given this treatment” she answered and almost shrugged. 

“Well, it’s actually a nice way of manipulating them into entering the association. Make them feel like they’re in debt for everything the VHA has done for them and that they have to repay them by becoming hunters themselves” she added and Rima hummed. 

“Not all that different from human and vampire society, then” she said dryly, stopping anyone from taking offence by reminding them that that was just how the world worked. Humans manipulated, hunters manipulated and vampires manipulated. It was the one thing they all had in common. Some were better at it than others and those who were, were never well-liked. Kaname was the perfect example of that because even now, he was thinking of ways to manipulate the silverette into doing what he wanted. Into returning under his control once more. He didn’t care about what he had to use to get her, as long as she became his knight again.  

This time, he wouldn’t let her go anymore. He would hold her reins tighter, give her less space to maneuver around and find ways to slip from his grasp. If he had to, he would lock her up and break her soul so he could put her together again, exactly how he wanted her to be. It wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying as to have her strong, stubborn spirit alive and kicking, fighting him every step of the way and riling him up, but he would rather have her like a doll than not at all. Besides, breaking her could be fun as well. He was sure it would take a lot until she started showing cracks and he didn’t mind the challenge she presented. Instead of letting her grow into the powerful huntress she could become in time, he could mold her into the weapon he wanted her to be while enjoying what her body had to offer at the same time. It was one of the many ways he could break her spirit in, one he could make sure had lasting effects that were to his private advantage. Maybe then she would realize she could not escape his grasp. That she was his in every way he wanted to have her.  

A sudden tension fell over the room, the silence abrupt enough to draw the pureblood out of his thoughts. He looked over at the duo everyone was staring at, receiving the attention of the entire room. Every eye was directed at the tall glass filled with water that was turning a see-through red, courtesy of the two blood tablets that had been dropped into it. Not by the owner of the glass, but by the aristocrat next to her. Neither of them were looking at the glass, instead staring at each other. Zero’s glare was impressive, sending a chill down the spine of more than half of the occupants of the room, which was half that could see her face. Aidou on the other hand seemed completely relaxed, resting his chin on his raised hand as he levelled the silverette with a smug smirk, his body turned halfway towards her. 

“You’re not going to waste it, right?” he asked, though it sounded more like a response to the sharp unasked question in the huntress’s gaze, one that showed hints of betrayal hidden underneath multiple thick layers of anger. After a brief but intense standoff in which some vampires started to fear for the blonde’s safety, believing his life to be forfeited by his brashness, the silverette lifted the glass. Something flashed through both their gazes as the huntress places the glass at her lips, obviously aware of the way many onlookers held their breath as she slowly but surely tipped the glass up. Even though they had seen her eyes glow on that first day, Kaname knew many still doubted Zero’s nature. The fact that she refused to do anything vampire-like didn’t help that doubt, something that seemed to be erased with every swallow they heard. They watched the huntress ingest the fake-blood, yet the pureblood’s eyes were locked onto her pale throat, watching more of it be placed on display, the lithe muscles stretching out the higher she lifted her chin without looking away from the blonde in front of her. 

The sight of her alabaster skin made Kaname’s fangs tingle, threatening to come down full length. He was almost relieved when the now empty glass was placed down on her tray with click. 

“Satisfied? You going to stop nagging me now?” the silverette asked as she turned back to her bowl of fruit, keeping her attention on the aristocrat from the corner of her eye as Aidou scoffed. 

“I didn’t think you’d drink the whole glass. I was prepared to drink the rest of it after you’d taken a swallow” he told her, his eyes immediately shooting down to the fork that was held like a murder weapon, his hands flying up in defense, hoping to appear innocent as he drew his shoulders up. He was smart enough to lean away from the huntress, through his amusement remained visible in his eyes. Zero let him get away with it. 

“Kiryuu-kun” Kaname spoke up, receiving the young vampire’s attention at the same time she popped a piece of dragon fruit into her mouth, looking like the taste soured after being addressed by him. 

“The chairman told me to relay you this before class, but it seems like Kurenai Maria has woken up from her coma” the pureblood informed her, watching her eyes widen before she got to her feet. 

“Say that sooner, bastard” she said, though she was smart enough to mumble only the last part under her breath, barely loud enough for even their vampire hearing to pick up on it. With her bowl of fruit in one hand and her tray in the other, she didn’t look back as she speed-walked to the entrance of the dining hall, bridging the distance in large steps before she disappeared through the door with her bowl still in her hand. Kaname narrowed his eyes at her retreat, wondering why she would be so quick to leave after hearing that the puppet Hio Shizuka had used had woken up. As far as he was aware, they had no connection and there was no reason for the silverette to show such interest in her awakening. Was it truly the lingering connection to her master, including the body her master had used for a short period of time? He couldn’t figure it out. Maybe Aidou knew. 

“Aidou” Kaname spoke up, drawing the blonde’s attention as they moved to stand up and clear the tables. 

“Yes, Kaname-sama?” the aristocrat asked, throwing a small glance at his cousins who were looking at him. 

“Would you mind joining me in the library for a little while?” the pureblood asked, though he knew it wasn’t really a question. It wasn’t a command either, but Aidou wouldn’t refuse him either way. He couldn’t, and the Kuran king was fully aware of it. 

“Of course not” the blonde responded immediately, his acceptance dismissing his cousins and the other vampires around them. Aidou followed one step behind him as he lead the way out of the dining hall and towards the library that doubled as the common room. It was a large room, practically the same size as the dining hall, with every wall filled with book shelves from floor to ceiling, several rolling ladders connected to the shelfs to allow access to even the highest ones. There were several brown leather chaise lounges and two S-shaped tête-a-tête chair with blue velvet pillows. A reading nook was designed at every window, a soft bench created from the windowsills that was made more comfortable with several pillows. There was more than enough place for the students to sit, yet the pureblood chose to remain standing. Because he wasn’t sitting down, Aidou remained on his feet as well, looking only slightly uncomfortable with the silence that seemed to stretch as Kaname read the backs of the books he let his fingers run across. 

“I’m assuming you called me apart for a reason other than helping you pick out a book to read, Kaname-sama” the ice-user spoke up, breaking the silence when it got too much for him. The pureblood glanced back at him before turning back to the book he had pulled out of the shelf without any intention of actually reading it. 

“It seems you have become quite close to Kiryuu” he said, making a considerable understatement as the silverette’s voice calling the blonde’s nickname played over and over in his head like a record on repeat. ‘Close’ wasn’t cutting it, but it was enough for now. 

“Who would have thought, right?” the blonde asked with a chuckle, though he did sound somewhat tense as he almost visibly resisted the urge to scratch the back of his head in a nervous gesture. 

“It is nothing to feel bad about” Kaname lied, though he sounded completely genuine, as if there was not even the slightest warmth coiling in his stomach. 

“In your opinion, how would you say she is adjusting to being a vampire?” he asked, opening the book on a random page as if he was going to read a single letter on it. Aidou inhaled as he mulled over the question, his gaze shifting towards the window. 

“In my opinion, my lord, I would say that she’s adjusting better than anyone could ever predict” he answered and Kaname hummed, sounding slightly disinterested. 

“Did you notice any lingering attachments to her master?” he asked and the blonde looked back at him, blinking innocently. 

“Her master?” he asked and the pureblood turned to him. 

“Hio Shizuka. The pureblood who turned her. Did she not tell you that?” he asked, pleased at the idea that they were not yet close enough for the silverette to talk to the blonde about who had turned her. 

“Oh, yes, she told me! She just didn’t talk about Shizuka-sama like she was her master. I don’t think her pride would allow her to think of anyone as her master” Aidou said, shooting down the brunet’s slowly growing satisfaction before it could put him at ease. So they truly were that close. 

“That sounds like her” Kaname said as he turned his attention back to his book to hide the displeasure that flashed through his eyes. 

“Well, if there is something I know about her in the short time I’ve gotten to know her, it’s that her kindness is stronger than her pride, though it’s hard to get past those walls of her” Aidou said with a chuckle. 

“Even when you’re past those walls, she barely shows any emotion so it’s hard to read her unless you know what to look for and even then” he said before his eyes narrowed in a fond smile that took Kaname off guard considering the subject they were talking about. 

“But once you’ve seen her smile, you really want to do everything in your power to see it again because it just makes you feel warm inside” he said and the pureblood’s eyes widened barely noticeable. 

“She smiles?” he asked surprised and the blonde looked up at him with a snort. 

“Strange to think about it, isn’t it? It’s one of those things you have to see to believe. I’ve seen it and I won’t even believe it until I see it a second time” he said and Kaname raised an eyebrow. 

“You’ve only seen her smile once?” he asked and the aristocrat gave a firm nod. 

“Yes, but I will see a second one before the month is over” he said, as if he was repeating a promise to himself he had made earlier. Kaname found himself struggling internally. On the one hand, he was pleased with this development. The closer the blonde was to Zero, the easier it became to control the huntress through him so he wouldn’t need to go through the trouble of getting close to Mizuno Yuuya. But that was exactly what displeased him. He didn’t want her to be that close to Aidou. He couldn’t help but question just  _how_ close they were and how the blonde had succeeded in approaching her. It was impossible that it was just because of that chemistry project. Something must have happened between them and the pureblood wanted to know what because the way his thoughts were going was not comforting him.  

He had heard about the effects of their chemistry project, aware that it was being turning into a medicinal drug as they spoke, one that calmed the user and put them in a good mood. 

What kind of good mood had it put the two of them in? 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

Yuuki was not in a good condition and Kaname knew the exact reason why. However, there was nothing he could do about it. Not until the time was right. Until then, the only thing he could do was distract her as much as he possibly could. Unknowingly, Zero was helping him with that by helping Yuuki with her futile research into her past. It gave her something to do to stave off the impending insanity that was caused by her nightmares, which were no doubt too bloody for her pure, human mind to handle. Because of the nightmares, the huntress had decided to take over the brunette’s perfect duty so she could try to get more sleep. However, this caused her to skip quite a lot of classes that she caught up with during the early hours of sunlight, after checking up on the sealed princess. As result, she spend less time in Kaname’s field of vision and more in Aidou’s presence in her room where they went over the notes the blonde had taken during the classes she had missed.  

Or at least that was what everyone believed they were doing. Behind closed doors with only the two of them, who knew what they were doing?  

Needlessly to say, Kaname was displeased about this, but couldn’t find a suitable excuse to get Zero back into the classroom when it meant that it would leave Yuuki on her own. At the moment, that was simply not an option. The pureblood could feel his blood stir, warning him of the looming awakening of his master who had awoken him from his slumber. In the past ten years, the connection with his master had been subdued, an easy to ignore tingle in the back of his head but one he chose to focus on to know how long he still had to find a way to destroy the chains that tied him down. As Rido grew stronger, the connection became firmer as well, keeping the vampire king up to date about the other’s state and health. He had known it wouldn’t take long for the head of the Kuran clan to get back on his own two feet, but he hadn’t anticipated it would have fallen together with Yuuki’s slow descent into insanity.  

His sister was surprisingly insistent on finding the truth about her past and her existence, wanting to fill in the blank gaps in her memories. Kaname had hoped that he would have been able to put it out of her mind for a little while longer, but her curiosity had set off her awakening, and it was not a pleasant progress. He knew that her futile research into her past was not helping in the slightest, forcing more bloody memories to the surface without her having the mental strength to handle them. Perhaps he would need to find a different way to distract her from the inevitable, postponing the time when he would change her at least until he had gotten rid of Rido. It didn’t matter to him when he changed her, but he didn’t want her to suffer through a slow awakening. However, neither could he divide his attention between his newly awakened sister and Rido hunting both of them, not caring which Kuran he got his hands on. 

“Kaname-sempai” Yuuki spoke up behind the pureblood, drawing the attention of the students with which the brunet shared a classroom. 

“Can we talk?” the sealed princess asked, clutching the hem of her black skirt as she bravely held the king’s gaze. Kaname had known this moment would come and regarded her only for a second before turning half-way towards his inner circle. 

“Could you leave us?” he requested, though it sounded more like an order without it actually being one. However, his court knew how to read between the lines and knew that refusal would not be appreciated and was not an option. However, there was one of his classmates that didn’t belong to his inner circle, leaning back against the wall with her hands in the pockets of her skirt, keeping her gaze on the floor at her feet. 

“Kiryuu-kun” Kaname said, his voice making it sound like a question but the look in his eyes expressing his desire to be left alone with his sister. The one time he did not want to have the silverette in his field of vision, she decided to be there. Behind his back was technically not in his field of vision, but he was intensely aware of her presence none the less. He wished to give his attention fully to his sister when he was finally alone with her, but the huntress was making it impossible. 

“It’s alright, Kaname-sa-sempai. I asked her to stay” Yuuki said, drawing the pureblood’s attention away from the silverette, turning to see her standing with her head down uncomfortably. 

“To stop me from getting distracted when you try to change the subject” she explained and the brunet resisted the urge to let his gaze travel back to the huntress at his back. 

“Like when I told you I love you?” he asked instead, not even needing an answer to know the results of those words. It was the reason he had said them now instead of after he had turned her. And just like the first time he had spoken his feelings out loud, it had the same effect this time, causing the princess’s mind to cloud and her face to flush. Kaname decided to push it a little further in the hope to once more distract her from what she was asking from him. 

“I was being honest, but is it possible that you hate me?” he asked as he tilted his head, the reaction instantly. 

“Of course not! I could never hate you! Whether it’s in the past, now or in the future, I have always liked you above anyone else!” Yuuki exclaimed, meeting his gaze with the same desperation that caused her to clutch at her chest. It almost made Kaname feel guilty for the way he was manipulating her. 

“There is no way I could ever hate you, Kaname-sama. Not even if you were the one who wanted to attack me on that night ten years ago, or when you’re of the same race. If it’s Kaname-sama, I-” 

“Yuuki” Zero cut in, stopping the day class perfect mid rant and alerting her of how easily she was swept up in her older brother’s pace. How easily Kaname pulled the strings and controlled the conversation. Yet the huntress only needed one word to cut through the strings and make tingles run down the pureblood’s nape, putting the sealed princess back on track, her gaze hardening in determination. 

“But as I grew older, doubt started to grow. I’m not stupid enough to ignore that no matter how I grow up or how I change, I would never be able to stand beside you. I would never be able to match up with you” Yuuki declared, continuing before Kaname could even respond, not giving him the time to manipulate the conversation again. 

“About my past, Kaname-sempai, you are involved with it, are you not?” she asked, taking a step forward when the pureblood only smiled ruefully, her hands landing on his uniform-clad chest. 

“I’m right, aren’t I?! Why won’t you tell me the truth?! Please, tell me! I can’t go on like this! I don’t want us to run away anymore! I need to know the truth to grow stronger and try to stand beside you! Please!” she begged him, her voice bouncing off the walls and her rant stopping when the Kuran king raised his hand. 

“Silly girl. Is it really that bad, to be scared? To live happily like in a dream? Is it really that bad, when the truth that is concealed is a bloody nightmare? If it is, would you still want to know” he asked as he cupped her cheek, the heart-ache in her eyes almost equal to his own. 

“Yes” she spoke resolutely and Kaname was sure his heart was cracking in his chest, knowing that the truth would break her heart. Knowing that the truth which she so badly wanted, was not something he could give her. Not yet. He released a heartfelt sigh, turning his gaze away from her before once again meeting her eyes, this time truly feeling guilty about the words he was about to speak, knowing that he was using them to lure her into a trap. But it was for her own good. 

“You are the only one who could give me warmth. I’ve always been afraid that if you knew the truth, you would come to detest me” he told her, feeling her warm hands wrap around his wrist, heating up his skin. 

“I could never hate you” she said as she bashfully averted her gaze, saying the exact words Kaname had expected to hear. 

“Then prove it to me” he said, shifting his hand until it was curled around her shoulders, using his gentle grip as leverage to pull her closer to his body. 

“Become my lover” he said, causing a warm flush to rise to Yuuki’s cheeks, her blood pumping faster through her veins as her heart fluttered in her chest, audible to the pureblood. 

“Kaname-sempai” she said as she looked up at him, taken off guard and in left in a daze by both his words and his proximity. He almost had her before she started to struggle. 

“N-no! Let go! Do you think I would give up because of that?” she asked as she tried to put more distance between them, knowing she would give in if she allowed him to speak more honeyed words. 

“Let go! I won’t allow my past to be brushed off by you anymore!” she announced as the pureblood let her take a step back, catching her wrist instead, still demanding her attention as he spoke up. 

“If you show me proof, I will definitely tell you about the past you want to hear. You were brave enough to confront me face to face, so I will not face you with anything less” he said, his gaze too intense for her to hold and his words too good for her to remain wound up. 

“You’re lying” she said in a small voice, hoping for him to deny her words. 

“I am not lying, Yuuki. If you really want to know about your past, become my lover and I will tell you everything you want to hear” he promised her, a silence falling after he had spoken. His loopholes had gone unnoticed as the brunette finally loosened her muscles after mulling over his words, her decision made and revealed in the way she allowed him to draw her closer, his arm wrapping around her as he mumbled a praise into her hair, feeling her heart thud away against his stomach. The sensation and sound of it put the pureblood at ease, causing the muscles in his shoulders to relax in a way they only did around her. This was how it should be. This was where she belonged, in his arms dwarfed by his frame, safe and protected. With her sweet smell in his nose, her heat seeping into his own cold body and her hands placed lightly on his stomach, too shy to do any more, to touch him any differently. 

“Yuuki” Zero spoke up, a frozen hint to her tone that caused the brunette to stiffen in her brother’s arms, yet she didn’t look up at the silverette standing behind the tall vampire. 

“You should head back to the dorms before it gets too late. I’ll do the last rounds, so catch up on some sleep now that you’ve calmed down” the huntress suggested, though it didn’t sound like she was going to accept a no. Kaname could insist on walking his sister back to her dorms, telling the silverette that he would take of her as her lover, but there was something in her tone that made him decide against. Something that made him want to stay and find out why the huntress wasn’t moving either. He let go of Yuuki who agreed with her adoptive sister, ducking her burning face as she brushed past both vampires, all but running down the hallway and leaving them alone without another word or even the usual warning to stop them from tearing each other’s throat out, something she usually never forgot. 

Both vampires watched her retreating back, relying on their hearing when she rounded the corner to make sure she was far enough out of hearing range before either of them moved. It was not Kaname. Though it was his back that slammed into the wall with enough force to crack under his spine, a steel rod held firmly against his throat, something he identified half a second later as the huntress’s arm. The fabric of his blazer was fisted in her hand, her forearm pressing threateningly into the pureblood’s neck as she kept him pinned against the wall despite her smaller frame. The pureblood king felt a jolt go down his spine at the glare that was directed at him, lavender eyes frosty like an ice-age. 

But they were directed at him and no-one but him. 

The jolt was quickly followed by a shiver. 

“You’re a real piece of work, aren’t you?” Zero said, her voice just as cold as her gaze, causing goosebumps to break out in the brunet’s nape. Kaname’s fingers twitched with the need to wrap around her throat, wanting nothing more than to slam her into the wall behind her and put her in her place, but he held back, taking in the scent that drifted up to his nose. Unlike Yuuki’s mellow scent, Zero’s was sharper despite the flower tones of peach blossom and roses. He could practically taste the metal in her scent on his tongue when he opened his mouth. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about” he responded, his voice betraying nothing about the unwelcome thrill he was feeling by being on the receiving end of the huntress’s attention after so long. The fact that he was met with such anger only made it that much hotter, compared to the sweetness that he usually felt with Yuuki. As the pressure on his throat increased, actually cutting off his breathing this time, he could feel his stomach coil with heat. 

“Don’t play dumb, Kuran. You know exactly what I’m talking about” she said, the way she spat out his name making his fingers itch even more. 

“You know about everything. About her past, about how desperate she is about finding out the truth about herself, about how she went to the VHA with me to look for any records only to have them go up in flames, about her nightmares. There’s no way you don’t know about it. Not when it’s about your beloved little Yuuki” she said, her eyes narrowing and her glare hardening. Kaname didn’t move, reveling in the way he was holding her undivided attention. Not Yuuki, not Yuuya and not Aidou, but him. It really shouldn’t be affecting him like this, but it did and he wasn’t fighting it. He wasn’t resisting the heat that spread through his veins at the disrespect from the level C. He wasn’t stopping his thoughts that went to several different ways in which he could turn the tables on her and get the upper hand again. In the way he could establish dominance over the huntress who managed to press all his buttons at once. 

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, her voice lowering as it grew softer, yet no less icy. She didn’t let up on the pressure on his throat either, yet Kaname wasn’t struggling against her. 

“If she becomes your lover, you’ll tell her about her past? My ass. You never said when you would tell her and how long this farce would last” she said, proving that unlike Yuuki, she had seen through the pureblood’s sweet words, recognizing them as the poison that they were. She was not easily fooled by being told what she wanted to hear, already too used to the brunet’s manipulating ways to buy his bullshit. 

“It is not a farce. I truly love Yuuki and I wish her to be my lover” Kaname told the silverette, his voice even despite the arm against his throat. 

“And yet you have to manipulate her into a relationship by using her memories against her” Zero said and scoffed. “Some relationship that is. How can you be sure that she truly loves you enough to be with you?” 

Kaname finally moved, the huntress’s words too much for him to listen calmly to. He knocked away the younger vampire’s arm by pushing against it, using both his height and his weight to his advantage. His hand wound around her throat, his long finger wrapped nearly completely around her, the tips of his nails almost brushing together in her nape as he slammed her into the wall he had been eyeing over her shoulder the entire time. As he expected, she looked pretty like that, with his pale hand wrapped around her throat that was still whiter than his own skin-tone, glaring up at him yet not resisting his grip in the same way he had not resisted her. He could feel bloody rose press against the sensitive underside of his chin, yet he was more focused on the silver strands he could feel against the back of his fingers, just as silky as they looked, making the soft material of the pastel green wove cord almost feel rough. Both the sight and the sensation made his body heat up, slowly but surely settling in his lower half as he looked down at her. 

“I had to manipulate her to protect her” he said, though he cared less about the words that were leaving his mouth than he did before, too distracted by the thoughts running through his head at having the silverette right where he wanted her to be. 

“To protect her?” Zero parroted sharply, mockingly, her eyes narrowing at him despite the threat of his hand around her throat. 

“Yes. I had no plan of manipulating her directly, but I had to change them” he said, leaning closer to her regardless of how it caused the barrel of the gun to press deeper into the supple skin of his chin. Zero’s expression remained set in stone, her rage barely hidden under the surface but burning in her lavender ice like the cold flames of hell. It was troubling how much this was turning him on. 

“I wouldn’t have needed to manipulate her directly, if only you had stayed my knight” he told her and felt a chill of satisfaction go down his spine as he watched her eyes widen, her heartbeat speeding up against his palm as her breathing got stuck in her throat. Kaname kept the smirk off his lips but knew it was impossible to keep it out of his eyes as he caught her chin with his free hand, stepping closer to her as he pushed his face up so she was forced to look up at him. He didn’t tower over her like he did with Yuuki, but he could still look down at her. 

“You could always consider becoming my knight once more. I might reconsider manipulating Yuuki if I could use you again” he suggested in a pleased tone, his words causing the huntress’s fierceness to resurface. In a split second, Kaname found himself pushed back. One of his arms was grasped closely against the silverette’s chest while she turned her back against his front. The pureblood knew what was going to happen, but even when he resisted, he found himself airborne, tossed almost easily over the younger vampire’s shoulder. He almost coughed when he landed, his back slamming into the floor instead of the wall but with no less force. 

“You’re sick, Kuran” Zero said before turning away from him, leaving him with words that were nothing but the cold hard truth as she leaped out of the window. There was no doubt in his mind that he was sick. No sane man or vampire would get aroused from being pinned against the wall and returning the favor. Yet here he was, all the guilt he felt about manipulating Yuuki erased by the way his body was burning from the attention he had received from the huntress for his actions. The cold air that blew inside from the open window was doing nothing to abate the heat coursing through his veins and he waited a second before picking himself up off the floor with the knowledge that Yuuki was his lover now. He had no longer any need to use Zero as a way to get rid of his sexual frustration. 


	5. Siblings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Ichiru ^^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I owe nothing but the story, the OCs, and the grammar mistakes.

At the sound of a knock on her door, the silverette looked up from the book in her hand, lifting her chin from her raised palm that was supported by her elbow on the arm-rest of her chair. She knew who was on the other side of the door, her senses telling her the exact identity of the vampire standing in the hallway, waiting for her to open the door. There was no way she would mistake the overpowering presence of the night class ruler. With a sigh, the silverette unfolded her legs, getting to her feet while putting her glow in the dark dragonfly bookmark in between the pages to keep track of where she was. She had read the book over a dozen times, quite literally considering how worn down it was, but it was still one of her favorites. Being disturbed while reading it left a sour taste in her mouth, especially considering who was at her door. With obvious displeasure, she pulled open the door, not even bothering with putting down the book in her hand. At least, with her hands full, she wouldn’t be tempted to punch the pureblood in the nose.

“What do you want, Kuran” she asked, not even bothering with a greeting as she rested her wrist on the doorknob on the inside of the door, leaning her weight against it as she looked up at the vampire prince, seeing that he was still in his uniform, unlike her. It was weekend, wasn’t it? Did he not own any casual clothes?

“The chairman summoned us. There is someone who wants to talk to us” Kaname informed her, his expression not shifting from the poised disinterested with which he regarded her. He did take notice of her preoccupied hands and Zero wondered if he was still wary of her. It would understandable considering what had happened the last time when they had been alone, but at the same time, it would surprise her. The older pureblood had never been wary of her, not even when she was aiming rose at him, not to mention that he was powerful enough not to be wary of anyone. She was not ignorant enough to ignore something which she couldn’t deny, even if she didn’t like to acknowledge the fact that Kaname was stronger than her, his presence dominating and intimidating without him even attempting to do anything. Not even her own mother had felt this powerful, and neither had her father for that matter. Then again, she doubted she ever felt her father use his powers, no doubt having gotten them sealed with several hunter marks to prevent him from using them against the VHA. Or maybe he had sealed them himself like she had done, to prevent that greedy president from using his powers as they pleased.

It was just one of her many questions that would remain unanswered.

“Who is it?” she asked, crossing her ankles as she leaned her weight even more against the door, ready to throw it into his face if she didn’t like his answer.

“The chairman neglected to tell me, but I am sure we will know soon enough” the pureblood prince responded and the silverette regarded him blankly as she mulled over her answer. To be honest, she had no reason to deny the summon considering Kaien had demanded her to join them for breakfast and Yuuki had convinced her to come before she had even been able to voice any protest. They hadn’t thought about the fact that their morning was different from hers, but it didn’t matter all that much to her either. It wasn’t like she slept much in the first place.

“Fine. Whatever” she said as she turned away from her door, sliding her feet into her pokkuri geta because she didn’t want to bother with putting on shoes, the bells on the bottom tingling with every step she took. She kept her book on hand as she closed her door behind her after switching off the lights inside her dorm-room, knowing she’d probably stay at Kaien’s residence until the others woke up and she would need something to do. Something to keep her busy while she waited for the night to pass. The male pureblood’s attention remained a little too long on her choice of footwear, but it didn’t really surprise the silverette. Traditional Japanese geta didn’t seem like they would be her style and they didn’t used to be either, but she had gotten used to them and they were the easiest shoes to pull. Also, the last thing she cared about was his opinion on what she chose to wear on her feet, not that he said anything as they walked down the hallways before descending the stairs. She could tell there were several questions lying on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t voice them.

Perhaps he kept quiet because of the eyes that were on them as they left the dorm and he didn’t know how she would react, lest she flipped him over her shoulder again and humiliated him in front of other vampires instead of an empty hallway, but even when they were outside, his lips remained shut. In a strange way, Zero could appreciate it, but on the other hand, she hated it when she had no idea what was going on inside his head. It was like that most of the time, but usually she knew when he was manipulating her and why. She never resisted because of the guilt she felt and how indebt she was to Yuuki, who had allowed her to drink her blood when her hunger had become too much for her to handle. However, ever since she transferred into the night class, she could no longer tell what he was thinking. She knew that he wanted her back as his knight, but that was only because he had bluntly said so. The fact that he had used his relationship with Yuuki to try and get her back under his control angered her like nothing else.

But it didn’t surprise her either.

She believed him when he said that he truly loved Yuuki, she knew better than to think of that as a lie or an act. However, he had used the perfect’s feelings against her and Yuuki against _her_. The difference was that the brunette had fallen for his tricks while she hadn’t. Did she feel wrong about it? Yeah. Sure, she did. However, she knew about Yuuki’s feelings. She knew her adoptive sister had been pining after the older pureblood since the first moment she had seen them together and the younger girl had never hidden it. Couldn’t, was more like it. To be Kaname’s lover was like a dream come true to her and Zero didn’t want to turn it into a nightmare by shaking the brunette awake, forcing her to face reality. She could see that while the perfect was trying to hide it, she reveled in every moment she spend at Kaname’s side as his lover, enjoying the attention he gave her and the way he would go out of his way to act as a true lover like those of the tacky romance books Zero secretly liked to read.

Like the one she was currently holding in her hand, the cover hidden against her hip.

However, Kaname was nothing like the men in those stories. He was closer to the villains in them, and even those paled in comparison to him. Yes, he was a gorgeous specimen of a man, she could admit that much. But so were all aristocrats and purebloods. Their looks were what captured the attention of mere mortals and held it for long enough for them to pick out their prey, entrancing them until they were pliant and ready for them to feed from. Every pureblood looked different, but everything about them was designed to capture a prey. They were predators at heart and by nature, it was something they couldn’t deny. It was ingrained into the very marrow of their bones, an instinct they were born with in the same way one learned how to breath. The only difference between them and predatory animals was the fact that humans were their main source of food. Yuuki liked to think Kaname was different, but Zero knew better. The pureblood prince was possible the worst of them all.

Sadly, love made blind and the academy guardian was the perfect example of this. She saw her beloved blood-sucker through rose-colored glasses and Zero did not have the heart to force her to take them off. She had been dealt a bad hand in life and that had forced her to grow up quicker, even more so because of the way she was raised as a hunter, as a weapon. But that was no reason for her to take away her sister’s happiness. For how long it lasted, she would allow Yuuki to have what she wanted, the perfect dream with the man who she deemed perfection itself. And when everything came crumbling down, she would not say ‘I told you so’, but she would support her. Maybe lend her rose in case she wanted to shoot the bastard to make herself feel better.

She doubted Yuuki would actually be able to pull the trigger, ever, but it was the thought that counted.

Kaname raised his hand to knock on the door of the chairman’s office but the wood was pushed away from his limb before he could even get near the surface the surface. Zero didn’t look at the older pureblood as she stepped forward into the office, taking her hand off the door-knob and shoving it into the pocket of her dark skinny jeans.

“You’re used to barging in unannounced, why change now?” she asked sharply without even sparing the taller male a glance, stopping in front of Kaien’s desk out of habit as she watched the former hunter yawn, already dressed in his sleepwear that included that ridiculous hat.

“I was just being polite in case someone else was in here” Kaname answered as he stepped up next to her, keeping a suitable amount of space between them that would be considered normal between two people but was too close to the silverette’s liking. Then again, after how close he had been that time when he had slammed her against the wall, even a mile was too close. But considering they lived in the same building, on opposite sides of the same floor, seeing each other daily was inevitable. Not that Zero didn’t try to avoid him as much as she could, but his relationship with Yuuki was making it harder than it should be. The brunette insisted that the pureblood was around whenever she met up with her lover for some reason Zero didn’t understand.

“You’re about the furthest thing from polite-” the silverette started before she was cut off by Kaien clapping his hands together.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough of that, my dear daughter” he said, not flinching back despite the glare that was directed at him.

“I’m not your daughter” she shot back but was waved off, like always.

“I’m aware that you two don’t get along, despite my deepest wish that you two would become friends” he said, dramatically wiping away the tears that weren’t even in his eyes while Zero leveled him with a cold look, the idea nearly making her sick to her stomach.

“Get on with it, chairman. You called us here for a reason” she reminded him, wanting to get this over with so she could get out of the room and away from the Kuran prince. Kaien clapped in his hands again, a smile on his face as if he was unaware of the silverette’s patience that was quickly burning up.

“Right, there is someone I want you two to meet, though I’m sure you know him, Zero-chan” he said and all three of them perked up when they sensed someone approach the room. The silverette felt a chill run down her spine as she recognized the presence, her expression hardening as she looked at her adoptive father who looked at her with compassion, pleading her to remain calm with his gaze. The Hio princess closed her eyes as she inhaled through her nose, willing her grip on her book to loosen lest her fingers tore through the papers. When she heard the door open, she lifted her head to look up at her brother. Her half-brother. The only person in this entire world she could never hate, regardless of what he did. A person who shared her appearance, though a with slightly more masculine features and a little more height. Someone who she knew like the back of her hand, even after being separated for years, whose eyes she could read like they were a book with large print.

“Ichiru” she said, not quite sure on how to feel about seeing him so close in front of her. She had known he had transferred into Cross academy since Kaien had asked her permission to admit him and she had seen him from a distance, when he had come to spy on the night class during cross-over, but she hadn’t approached him and neither had he sought her out. While there were traces of resentment in her, it was overpowered by the sheer relief she felt at seeing him healthy. Even healthier than he had been as a child. Despite everything that had happened and everything that had changed, she still loved her brother more than anyone in this world. That was something that would never change, regardless of what happened. Just like how she would always be able to see the love and hate that was spelled out in the other’s lavender gaze as it rested on her, ignoring all the others in the room.

“Zero” he said, his voice firmer than hers even when hers hadn’t sounded fragile either. Ichiru had just been better prepared to face her. Then again, mentally, her brother had always been stronger than her.

“It’s nice to finally be introduced to you, Kiryuu Ichiru” Kaname spoke up, drawing the attention of both silverettes, both gazes turning blank as they were directed at him.

“I can’t return those words to you, Kuran Kaname” Ichiru responded coldly, nearly as icily as his sister.

“If I was called here to meet the dorm head of the night class in order to become his pawn in his games, I’ll have to refuse. Just because you live forever, doesn’t give you the right to treat humans as disposable. The way you stir things up to relieve your boredom is troublesome and I don’t want to have any part in it” the taller Kiryuu said, straight to the point and without sugar-coating his words, somehow causing the Kuran prince to chuckle as if he had said something amusing instead of insulting. Then again, he had been on the receiving end of Zero’s insults ever since the first time they met. Ichiru would have to do a lot more to get under his skin.

“Troublesome or not, you are already part of the game. By your own choice, might I add. The choices you made have brought you to this point, not anything I did to you” Kaname said, Zero’s eyes narrowing at his words that were brought in an almost light tone, something that changed once he opened his eyes to look at the taller silverette.

“Who are you aiming at?” he asked, though it sounded more like a demand, one Ichiru had no intention of listening to. Zero could see the defiance in his eyes, even if it was well hidden. He had always been good at hiding what he was feeling and what he was thinking, something he had gotten even better at. The pureblood was glad she could still see through him or even she might be tricked by his acting skills. She watched as he walked over to her until he stood halfway behind her, hooking his elbow with hers as he held onto her arm, resting his chin on top of her shoulder. She could smell his blood and feel his heartbeat, his heat seeping through their clothing and into her body, yet she could only be comforted by it instead of tempted. His touch was familiar, his weight against her welcome even when something curled in her chest that expanded as she inhaled deeply, taking in his smell that she knew by heart.

“Even if I told you, it’s not like you can do anything about it so I don’t see why I should waste my breath” he said and almost looked smug as he narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not a vampire, nor am I a hunter. I’m just a normal human, which is exactly why the council of ancients is using me” he said before actually smiling, looking almost innocent.

“If I’m in your way, you’re free to get rid of me for once and for all” he challenged bravely and Zero clicked with her tongue at him.

“Don’t cling to me if you’re going to pick a fight. I’m not your shield” she said but didn’t bother attempting to shake him off. He turned his head towards her, lifting it from her shoulder to pout at her, his eyes getting slightly glassy with moisture in the puppy-look he had perfected when they had been children.

“Eeeh? But nee-chan, won’t you protect me?” he asked, as if he didn’t already know she would. Her body would move on its own and they both knew it. She could never reject her brother. Otherwise, she would have pulled her arm away when he clung to her. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at those eyes she could never say no to. Ever. Not even their parents had been able to deny him anything when he had looked at them like that.

“Like hell I will. You’ve made your own bed, now lie in it on your own. Don’t drag me down with you” she said, turning her face away from his breath that now brushed her cheek. It had been so long since anyone had been that close to her and the fact that it was her brother made her even more aware of every sensation. It was getting annoying how depraved of touch her body was.

“Let’s get out of here then. Chairman Cross invited me over for breakfast and I need sleep before that. I’m not a vampire, I’m supposed to sleep at night” he said, already dragging his sister with him towards the door. As soon as the door had closed behind them, he let go of her arm, huffing frustrated as he glared at the hallway in front of him. Zero almost got a whiplash from his shift in demeanor, but she adjusted to it easily. It was almost as sudden as the switches between his healthy periods and a sick one, so if she thought about it like that, she didn’t even blink at the change. She knew that he would tell her about what annoyed him if she waited a bit, though she did end up waiting for it until they had reached the chairman’s residence.

“I can’t believe this” he groaned as he let himself fall down on the ugly green couch next to her, keeping a bit of distance in between them. Zero leveled him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate which he no doubt would do.

“Why do you always attract the wrong guys?” he asked her without taking his eyes off the ceiling, his words catching the pureblood off guard. Well, that was not what she had expected. She had expected something about Kaname’s shitty personality or even Kaien’s bad idea of a pleasant introduction.

“What do you mean?” she asked and Ichiru gave a long-suffering sigh as he closed his eyes.

“You seriously lack self-awareness, Zero. Those guys at our school, Kaito and now Kuran. You don’t even notice how they look at you. It’s honestly pitiful” he said, hiding his nagging with jabs at his sister’s weakness, though he was only causing more confusion instead of explaining things.

“Those guys at school? Kaito? Kuran? What the hell are you talking about? How are they looking at me?” Zero asked, turning slightly towards her brother who turned his head with a groan to look at her, a scowl on his beautiful face.

“They look at you like you belong to them. As if you’re their possession, theirs to possess. As if you’re edible” he said and then narrowed his eyes.

“And then I’m not talking about the blood-sucking kind of edible, but the other kind” he said and the pureblood felt her face flush at the implication that did not go over her head, regrettably. Did they really look at her like that? Kaito? And Kaname? No, impossible. Kaname had Yuuki, his lover, and Kaito… well, she didn’t know what she was supposed to say about him. It had been a while since she had last seen him. She startled when she heard her brother heave an exaggerated sigh as the weight of his head landed on her thigh.

“Ugh, the fact that you’re completely unaware of it is what I mean with your lack of self-awareness. It’s painfully obvious in the way they look at you, even just before when I stood close to you. That pureblood looked like he was going to rip my arms off my body right then and there, just because I was touching you” he said, shaking with his head in disappointment and annoyance as the young vampire looked down at him in surprise, unsure of how to move as her brother made himself comfortable by draping his legs over the furthest armrest of the sofa, turning onto his back.

“Back at school, I could keep the guys away from you by saying that I was contagious and that you were too because you were my twin, and they were stupid enough to believe me” he told her, telling her something she had never known as his brows furrowed together in displeasure, not seeing how his admittance caused her eyes to widen a fraction.

“But you keep attracting trash like it’s your purpose in life! I couldn’t handle Kaito because he was a freaking bully and I was weak as hell, and I can’t even dream of handling that pureblood! How stupid can you be not to notice any of it and avoid attracting trash! Like, do something about it!” he said as he flailed his arms around in his annoyance. Zero raised an eyebrow at him with a huff, feeling vaguely amused as well as disturbed. Honestly? Were they really looking at her like that? She was aware that Kaname felt somewhat entitled to her, always calling her his knight, but did that count as being possessive?

“Then what do you suggest I do about it?” she asked and Ichiru stifled a yawn behind the back of his hand.

“Pick better guys. The ones that aren’t trash” he suggested sharply and she rolled with her eyes.

“Since I’m so unaware, who would that be?” she asked somewhat sarcastically and startled as his eyes opened to look up at her, the intensity in his lavender eyes causing her previously relaxed spine to tense once more.

“Me” he said bluntly, her breathing stuck in her throat as she held his gaze, her finger twitching where she was holding onto her book. His answer had thrown her off guard, having expected him to make another joke or give her another jab about how stupid she was for not even knowing that. This was not the response she had been expecting. She scoffed, letting her free hand come down to gently flick his forehead with a satisfying thwack that had him flinch even when she had tried to hold back.

“You’re pretty much trash too, aren’t you?” she asked, ruffling up the silverette’s hair in a way he both loathed yet loved judging from the half-hearted protesting noise he made. She let her hand trail down to his cheek, holding his gaze as his line of vision was no longer cut off by her hand, his pout slowly but surely disappearing. Neither of them said a word about the anguish and suffering that was no doubt visible in her eyes as she gazed down fondly upon her brother who looked up at her, almost mirroring her gaze though there was part envy mixed into his purple orbs. He reached up a hand to rest over hers, sliding his fingers in between hers until they were slotted together, holding her hand in place against his cheek as both of them were afraid to break the peaceful silence between them.

As Ichiru’s blinks started to get more drawn out, his eyelids unable to remain open as his exhaustion finally overwhelmed him, Zero looked over to the lights, flicking them off with a little mental push. Her vision adjust almost instantly, her eyes glowing red until the darkness could no longer hide anything for her as she once again used a mere hint of her telekinesis to drag one of Kaien’s fluffy blankets across her brother’s slumbering form. She turned her attention to the book in her hand, opening it to continue reading where she had left off in the dorm as she gently combed the fingers of her other hand through his hair, smoothing out the strands against her thigh, using no more than mere hints of her powers to flip the pages when needed. She could sense Kaien approach the building and enter, going straight to his room without even checking the living area. He didn’t need to, to know that she was sitting there. Former hunter he may be, but his skills had yet to rust to the point he was unable to sense her.

She felt calmer than she had in years, not even noticing it when the sun started to come up, jarring out of her trance only when she heard Kaien wake up a little while after sunrise. The blonde walked into the living area, his footsteps barely audible even to her vampire hearing out of habit, one he was consciously trying to get rid of. Zero looked up, meeting his lethargic, half-asleep gaze that looked more like a glare, much to her amusement. Kaien was zombie before his first cup of coffee, though that was something not even Yuuki knew. She was never up early enough to witness it and Zero had never told her about it. Not that the perfect would believe her even if she did. Kaien’s silence in the morning allowed him to slip into the kitchen for his much-needed vice without waking up Ichiru, though that didn’t take long.

“Zerorin~! Ichirun~!” the chairman’s voice called from the kitchen as he danced into the living area, coming alive with the scent of coffee under his nose. Considering the way he was acting, Zero would say that it was his second cup already. Ichiru grunted in annoyance at the disturbance, turning onto his side to bury his face into his sister’s stomach with a sleepy grumble. The action was too much for the chairman to pass up, cooing loudly as he drew out a camera from lord knew where, flittering about the pale siblings to capture as much of the moment as he possibly could. Zero’s eyebrow twitched where they were drawn together into a frown, her fingers stilling in her brother’s hair as she leveled her guardian with a glare. Kaien continued undisturbed, crying about the beauty of family and whatnot.

“Shouldn’t you be making breakfast? That is why you demanded me to come over when I should be sleeping, right?” she asked, her gaze sharpening in an unspoken warning. If he didn’t get that camera out of her face soon, she would destroy it. It wouldn’t be the first time she had done it and Kaien was fully aware of it, giving a troubled little laugh as he held the device high above his head.

“I’ll go prepare breakfast right away, my dear sweet daughter!” he said and the pureblood clicked with her tongue at him.

“I’m not your dau-” she started, not even bothering with finishing her sentence when the blonde danced his way back to the kitchen. She shook his head at the hallway he disappeared in, scraping her nails softly from her brother’s hairline to the nape of his neck, earning a shiver from his body without stirring him from his sleep. Yuuki stumbled into the living room not too long after the clattering of pots and pans resounded in the kitchen, hiding a yawn behind her hand.

“Morning” Zero greeted her, shifting her attention away from her book for long enough to acknowledge the brunette who blinked at her, needing a few seconds before recognition lit up her warm garnet orbs.

“Zero? You really came” she said, sounding surprised as she walked over, stopping in her tracks as she noticed movement underneath the blanket and the silver mop of hair that stood out against her dark jeans.

“You told me to, didn’t you” the Hio princess reminded her with an annoyed look and Yuuki chuckled as she scratched the back of her head guiltily, a flush rising to her cheeks as she moved her gaze down to the ground in front of her.

“R-right, it’s just that after everything you’ve been doing for me lately, putting up with accompanying me and Kaname, I didn’t think you’d do this too” she said and Zero heaved a soft sigh as she lowered her book onto her knee, closing her eyes.

“If I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t. Neither keeping an eye on you when you’re with Kuran, or coming here. There is no reason for you to feel bad. Just don’t expect me to keep doing this” she answered and could hear Yuuki shuffle with her feet restlessly.

“I-is it because of that? Because of the hunger? B-because I’m tempting you?” she asked and Zero looked up at her before shaking her head negative.

“No, that isn’t it. You don’t need to worry about my hunger anymore, Yuuki. I’m able to take the tablets now” she answered, seeing the brunette’s eyes widened in surprise, taking a step forward.

“E-eh? Really? I thought you couldn’t stomach them. That they made you sick, which was why you had to drink my-”

“Yuuki~! My dear, sweet daughter! You’re finally awake!” Kaien called as he danced into the living area once more, successfully tackling his adoptive daughter regardless of her best attempts at getting away from him.

“Unbelievable” Ichiru grumbled without moving his head away from her stomach, his breath heating up her skin through the fabric of her top. Zero looked down at him, wondering since when he had been pretending to sleep.

“Not only men, but now women too? Nee-chan, that’s too much” he said with a whine that turned into a groan as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, drawing the attention of the other two in the room as the blanket slipped off his shoulder into his lap.

“Ichirun is up as well, I see! How wonderful! Why don’t you two go freshen up while I finish breakfast and Zerorin puts up the table” Kaien suggested as he clapped his hands together excitedly, earning a groan from the male silverette who let himself fall back against his sister’s shoulder, putting all his weight on her.

“Why is he so energetic in the morning?” he asked no-one in particular, mostly because neither Zero nor Yuuki had an answer for him.

“T-then, if you don’t mind, I’ll be using the bathroom first” the brunette said as she stood up, eager to get away from her adoptive father before he could get his hands on her again. As she fled from the room, Kaien returned to the kitchen, humming a song as if he wasn’t two minutes away from blowing up the entire house with whatever concoction he was trying to cook up.

“What did you mean by not only men but women too?” Zero asked once they were alone, looking at the back of her brother’s head that rested on her shoulder.

“Come on, Zero. It’s impossible that you missed the desperation in her voice when you told her you can take the tablets. You drank her blood, didn’t you?” he asked and the silverette remained silent, not wanting to admit the truth to her brother who didn’t even need her to answer. He scoffed, shaking his head.

“It’s like she thinks of you as a stray cat she picked up on the side of the road that she decided to feed and tame” he said annoyed and Zero copied his earlier scoff.

“You’re not going to tell me she’s like those guys who you say are possessive of me, right” she said and Ichiru lifted his head while yawning.

“Yup, I’m saying exactly that. Honestly, you need to do something about this because it’s a pain in the ass and it’ll get you in trouble later” he said as moved backwards to stand up, both of them looking up when Kaien peeked his head into the room.

“I forgot to ask this, Ichirun, but are you allergic to something?” he asked and the male silverette looked up with a frown that expressed more than a little disgust.

“No, I’m not. And stop with the ‘Zerorin’ and ‘Ichirun’. It’s ‘Zero’ and ‘Ichiru’” he said and Kaien’s smile widened.

“Alright, Ichirun!” he answered before ducking into the hallways again, ignoring how the younger Kiryuu bristled.

“Give it up” Zero said as she put aside her book once she had placed her bookmark in between the pages.

“You will never have enough energy to deal with him. If you get angry at him so easily, it’ll only encourage him and then you’ll be in for it for longer than you can take” she said and Ichiru grimaced disgruntled as he watched her get to her feet.

“How did you hold out with him for so long?” he asked and Zero gave a thoughtful hum.

“I wonder about that too. Perhaps because hunter weapons don’t work on him” she said carelessly and her brother looked up at her back in a mix of dread and amusement. While he waited for Yuuki to finish up in the bathroom, Zero got to setting the table, moving around the residence with comfortable ease while pointedly ignoring whatever Kaien was creating in the kitchen. It looked decent on the surface, but the smell made it obvious that there was something wrong with every dish that was placed on the table. Yuuki and Ichiru gave the dishes a weary look while Zero just resigned to having to suffer through whatever it tasted like. This time, it was black pepper, overpowering any other flavor and smell. Both Yuuki and Ichiru choked on the first bite of food they dared to push past their lips, Kaien tilting his head at them in confusion while the pureblood ploughed through with a stony expression.

“What’s wrong? Is it too hot? Did you forget to blow?” the former hunter asked as he looked at the only unaffected teenager at his table, wondering why the other two were hacking up a lung while she wasn’t. The brunette was the first one to be able to voice an answer, her throat smoothed out barely enough to talk by downing her entire glass of water.

“Y-you added a little too much pepper, chairman” Yuuki told him and Ichiru send her a one-eyed glare, still holding onto his burning throat while a tear slipped from the corners of his eyes.

“A little too much, my ass! This tastes like nothing but pepper. I can’t even taste the parts that are charred because the pepper burned my taste buds” he complained, causing the chairman to burst out in tears. Yuuki tried to comfort him, if only to stop him from being so overly dramatic while Zero stood up with her empty plate, feeling even her own stomach burn from the food before her healing kicked in. Ichiru took the chance to join her in her escape, rubbing his stomach that was no doubt turning from the torture it had been subjected to while Yuuki was stopped from following them by Kaien clutching onto her leg.

“How can you stomach that crap?” Ichiru asked pitifully, visibly nauseous as he walked next to her, envy clear on his pale face for her unaffected state. Zero glanced at him shortly without pausing in her way to the stables, having decided that since she was awake at this hour anyway, she might as well check up on Lily.

“It’s the only silver lining about being a vampire. Poison doesn’t work on us, even on a transitioning one” she revealed and her brother grimaced as he looked away from her, closing his eyes.

“Don’t worry. Yuuki has been eating his food for longer than I have and she hasn’t dropped dead yet. You’ll survive” she told him and Ichiru grimaced.

“That doesn’t make me feel better at all. My mouth feels like it’s on fire and my stomach is even worse. I don’t think I will ever be able to taste something again. The rest of my life will be a bland, tasteless hell” he said and Zero rolled her eyes at his antics, letting him complain all the way towards the stables. When she entered, some of the horses became restless from her aura while the one who was usually most sensitive about it didn’t even flinch. The white mare reached out her nose to push it into the pureblood’s hand, allowing her to come close enough to stroke her jaw.

“Isn’t that the bad-tempered hell horse all of the day class students fear like she is the devil herself? The one that even all the stable-hands fear” Ichiru asked and Zero scoffed as she stroked the upper part of the horse’s forehead that wasn’t pushed into her stomach.

“It’s not her temper that’s bad, it’s her personality. But yes, Lily tends to have that effect on everyone” she said and remained unmoving even when Lily tried to throw her head up for more attention. She was feeling neglected, apparently, but the silverette didn’t want to disturb her during the night.

“She seems pretty tame to me” Ichiru said as he leaned back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest as he regarded her back in silence.

“Did it taste good?” he asked, breaking the moment of peace. His out of the blue question caused his sister to look up over her shoulder, meeting his suddenly serious expression. She had the feeling that this wasn’t about Kaien’s food, but she didn’t know what else he could be talking about. Her confusion must have been visible on her face.

“Yuuki’s blood” Ichiru elaborated, causing the silverette’s spine to tense, her eyes widening a fraction.

“Did it taste good?” he repeated his question once more and Zero found herself averting her gaze, partly in shame, partly in general unwillingness to answer his inquiry. She didn’t want to talk about all the blood she drank during her transition, something she had loathed to do to the point she had given up on herself because she hadn’t been able to control her own blood-lust, disgusted with what she was becoming, falling deeper towards the end with every drop of blood that had touched her tongue. Things were different now. She was a pureblood and not a level D teetering on the edge of becoming level E. However, that didn’t change the fact that she was reluctant to drink blood and even more so to talk about it.

She heard Ichiru push off from the wall, bridging the limited distance between them with only a few steps. He stood close enough for her to register the heat radiated from his body, caressing her skin, his scent drifting into her nose. Vanilla with iron and something painfully human.

“Wouldn’t my blood taste better?” he asked, his suggestion causing the pureblood’s head to shoot up, meeting his gaze. She wanted to tell him to stop joking, ask him if he was out of his mind, but the look in his lilac eyes held every answer she would ever need to know. He was serious. This wasn’t just a provocation, it was an invitation. He was telling her that she was allowed to drink his blood and she couldn’t come up with a response. Even if she tried to tell herself that she couldn’t just mindlessly brush off his feelings and why he was making a suggestion like this, the fact that her eyes were drawn down to his slender neck made it impossible for her to deny that he wasn’t the only reason why she couldn’t find it in herself to answer him. To her own disgust, she couldn’t feel even an ounce of repulsion at the thought of consuming her own brother’s blood. Instead, her senses were overly aware of the blood streaming through his veins underneath a flimsy layer of skin that her fangs could pierce through like it wasn’t even there, providing no protection at all.

She turned her gaze away from him before her eyes could start to glow red as proof of her hunger, refusing to give in to the knowledge that part of her would have no problem at all with drinking his blood. That part of her was salivating at the idea of it. The monster inside of her, lurking beneath the surface, chained down by her upbringing as a hunter, was seducing her into accepting the offer. Whispering promises of the sweet nectar that would melt on her tongue, perhaps taste like the vanilla he smelled of. The part of her that was firmly chaining down the beast was telling her that she couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t. She knew what happened when a pureblood bit a human and neither of the outcomes was acceptable in her eyes.

Yet she couldn’t dismiss this so easily either. Not when Ichiru was facing her so honestly for the first time since they were children.

However, this was not something she wanted to talk about. Not something she wanted to consider because it would force her to admit that she did indeed crave his blood, more than she would like.

She needed to change the subject.

She needed to return to reality, both of them.

“Cut the crap, Ichiru” she said callously. “You’re playing with fire.”

“Who says I’m kidding around” the male Kiryuu asked as he took a step closer to her, his fingertips brushing across her temple to tuck her bangs behind her ear, his touch lingering even when she turned her head to look at him.

“I’m not talking about that” she said as she reached up to catch his hand, tightening her grip on it as she lowered it away from her face.

“Why are you really here? It’s not because you want me to drink your blood. I know you better than that” she said and watched the look in his eyes change, becoming hard just like her own. His hand slipped from his and she didn’t bother trying to hold onto it, letting him take a step back, putting more distance between them again.

“That’s none of your business” he said in the same merciless tone she had used before, whatever previous peace they had had before disappearing underneath layer upon layer of secrets. Zero felt her chest squeeze together painfully even when she knew it was better like this. After everything that had happened, there was no way they would be able to go back to being the siblings they used to be before. They both knew the truth about their history, about what their parents had done and who they had been, but that changed nothing about the fact that Ichiru had sided with her mother and had left her behind to suffer through a torturous transition to level E instead of allowing Shizuka to awaken her as the pureblood she was. Their family history was a fucked-up mess and they were no better. To once again have the same loving, inseparable relationship they used to have was but a pipe dream and neither of them were Yuuki. They both knew when to take off the rose-colored glasses.

“You’re right. It isn’t” Zero said as she turned back to Lily, brushing the mare’s forehead as she let a silence fall, as if she was calming the horse down before what was to come.

“However, if you do anything to harm Kaien’s academy, I will make it my business” she said as she levelled her brother with a sharp side-way look, letting some of her aura leak out in a threat they both knew she wouldn’t be able to carry through. The horses in the other stables went crazy at the oppressive energy of a predator so close by, while Lily did no more than flinch. Ichiru narrowed his eyes at her, swallowing as her aura settled around him in warning before she reigned it back in.

“Don’t make me do it” she said, though she couldn’t hide the plea in her eyes even when it was inaudible in her cold voice. The younger silverette scoffed as he turned away from her.

“You won’t be able to do it, anyway. You’ve always been too soft-hearted, Zero. Even now, when you’re a pureblood” he said before meeting her sideway gaze.

“You should get rid of that weakness before it kills you. The sooner, the better” he said before walking out of the stables without another word, not glancing back at the eyes that watched his retreat. Zero sighed as she was left alone with the frightened horses. She wasn’t stupid enough to ignore a warning when it was given. She knew that Ichiru couldn’t kill her even if he tried, in the same way she couldn’t harm him even if she wanted to. That meant there was another threat looming over their heads like the sword of Damocles and it was just a matter of time before it came down on them. She could say she would not allow it to all she wanted, but she knew that she couldn’t stop it. Not when she didn’t know what the threat was. It wasn’t hard to guess that Ichiru knew about it and from the conversation back in Kaien’s office, she could tell that he was on the opposite side, against her once more. From that same conversation, she could also tell that both Kaien and Kaname were aware of what was going on.

The blood tablets rattled inside the black container as a bunch of them fell out of it and into her mouth. She swallowed them down without tasting them, knowing that the taste left a lot to be desired. But it was better than the vanilla scent that seemed to be stuck in her nose. Fresh air would do her good, which she got plenty of on her way back to the chairman’s residence.

“Chairman” she said, stopping the older hunter from leaving the building at the door. Kaien took in the expression on her face before he sighed softly, his smile turning troubled, toning down quite a bit as he stepped aside.

“I had hoped we wouldn’t have needed to have this conversation” he admitted as he allowed her to step inside, closing the door behind her.

“Because you don’t want to get me involved?” she asked as she removed her geta, following the blonde back into the living room.

“Because I was hoping you wouldn’t need to face your brother again” he corrected her gently before looking over his shoulder.

“Especially not after seeing how both of you long to be together again” he said before pointing at the sofa in a silent invitation, one she accepted. He offered her tea, the smell telling her it was infused with a good portion of whiskey.

“It can’t be helped. He chose that side and I am on your side. He is his own person, free to make his own choices and I will accept whatever he does, regardless of whether or not I like the outcome” she said before sipping from the steaming beverage as the chairman sat down across from her, looking every year he had lived as he heaved a soft sigh.

“Honestly, you two” he said with a light shake of his head before looking up at her in determination.

“Since a while ago, many humans have disappeared within vampire territory. Toga-san has been investigating it and confirmed that the range is widening” he said and it took no effort at all for Zero to come to a conclusion.

“Someone is turning humans into level Es” she guessed, receiving a single grim nod in confirmation. The pureblood inhaled deeply and slowly, overly controlled as a face popped up in her mind.

“It’s not Kaname-kun, Zero” Kaien said in a slightly scolding voice, even when he could understand why he was the first vampire she thought about.

“But he knows who it is?” she guessed and the blonde regarded her before giving another nod in answer.

“Yes, but that’s where it becomes difficult” he said and the silverette remained quiet to let him continue, knowing that a lengthy explanation would come and that it wouldn’t help any if she interrupted him.

“The pureblood who is turning these humans is Kuran Rido” he told her and Zero had to press her lips together not to make a comment. Kaien obviously knew what was lying on the tip of her tongue but appreciated that she didn’t voice it.

“I have had a long relationship with the Kurans and I knew them well. Or at least Haruka and Juri. Rido… he is scum. I can’t find any other way to describe him because he seems like the evil incarnate. Trash, even among purebloods” he said and Zero raised an eyebrow at the sliver of killing intent that was weaved into his disgust. It wasn’t often the older hunter showed hatred towards a vampire.

“He used to be obsessed with Juri but she chose Haruka over him. Scorned, he got revenge by going after their youngest daughter when he found out about her. It was what lead to the demise of the Kuran couple” he said and the silverette lowered her cup from her lips. She wasn’t aware that the Kurans had a daughter, but she wasn’t exactly one to judge considering who she was.

“That’s where it gets a little tricky, so try to remain calm” Kaien warned her and Zero gave a nod, encouraging him to go on.

“The night Rido attacked the Kurans, he killed Haruka and Juri sacrificed herself to seal their daughter. Something you are no doubt familiar with” he said and the silverette frowned a little when certain dots started to appear in her mind. However, she remained silent, waiting with trying to connect them until she had more information.

“Kaname-kun tried to kill Rido, but he was unable to do so. Another thing you are familiar with. Rido is Kaname-kun’s master” he said and Zero looked down on her tea cup, remembering how her body just refused to listen to her when she had tried to shoot Shizuka the first time.

“Instead of killing him, Kaname-kun managed to destroy his body. His vessel, so to speak. It would give him time to plan a way to get rid of Rido for once and for all while protecting his sealed sister” he said and the pureblood bit on her lip as the dots started to connect.

“Rido, at the moment, is close to being fully recovered. As soon as he is, he will come after the Kuran princess. His obsession with Juri was transferred onto her, regrettably” he said and Zero closed her eyes.

“Yuuki is the Kuran daughter, isn’t she?” she asked and Kaien’s silence was enough confirmation for her, so she continued.

“He used me to protect her and he plans for me to kill Rido. Her shield and his knight. He knew I was transitioning and believed the lie of Ichiru and I being twins, cursed by the hunter’s curse but bound to become the strongest hunter in existence as soon as one fragment consumed the other. He released my mother with this in mind, hoping they were thinking the same thing, that she would turn me into her servant as revenge for her ‘murdered lover’. And while the true story is nothing something he is aware of, for as far as I know, the results are as he had hoped” she said, her cup bursting apart in her hands, the warm water dripping down her hands.

“Zero” Kaien said, both in sympathy and in warning, eyeing her warily as her aura continued to rise.

“I knew about it, I saw it in mother’s memories, how he released her. But I didn’t know the reason why and neither did mother. It was not out of pity or sympathy or even boredom. He tore apart Ichiru and I for his own gains, without consideration of the pain he was causing, knowing fully well about the suffering he was putting us through” she said, her brows furrowing together even closer as her chest felt tight, as if her ribs were about to snap under an invisible force.

“Zero” the former hunter called out louder at the sight of a few hair-line cracks in the wall behind her, but to no avail.

“I hate that I understand him!” she said, her voice harsh but not loud enough to draw out Kaien’s call of her name nor the wall the finally succumbed under the pressure of her aura, countless cracks spreading on the wall like a spiderweb, reaching all the way up to the ceiling and crawling across the floor underneath her bare feet. Her eyes widened as she looked up over her shoulder, immediately feeling bad for losing her grip.

“Oh fuck. Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to” she said and startled when she felt a hand settle on her knee, drawing her attention to the older man who looked at her with an understanding smile.

“It’s alright. You didn’t mean to let go like this. I understand. Now calm down, before your aura reaches the dorms” he told her and Zero swallowed thickly before looking down, taking calm breaths while she reigned in her aura.

“I don’t blame you, Zero. I don’t agree with what Kaname-kun has done, how he has manipulated you, and I am not asking you to forgive him. I wouldn’t even dream of asking that of you. He doesn’t deserve to be forgiven” he said, squeezing her knee in comfort when she finally had herself under control again.

“However, the fact that you understand his actions, even if you hate it, is a lot. It shows how mature you are” he said and Zero let out a sardonic chuckle that sounded more like a scoff, letting her face fall into her hands.

“What good is maturity at this point” she asked and Kaien gave her knee another squeeze before pulling her into a hug, relieved when she didn’t reject the gesture and instead leaned into him.

“It means that you are able to put aside your own feelings in order to do what is really important to you. You will protect Yuuki, knowing you would never be able to live with yourself if you left her defenseless to Rido’s mercy, just to spite Kaname-kun” he told her and Zero cursed into her palm, knowing he was right as her brother’s words resurfaced in her mind.

“Ichiru was right. My soft-heartedness is going to be the death of me one day” she said and Kaien hummed.

“Probably, yes” he said, not even bothering with denying it.

“But isn’t soft-heartedness a much better weakness to die from compared to selfishness, insanity or greed?” he asked her and the silverette didn’t answer him, promising to send over Yuuya to fix his wall once she managed to collect herself again.


	6. Kuran Rido.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, it'll stop following canon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don’t own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes (n.n)

Dealing with Rido, even thinking about that man, his so-called master, left a foul taste in Kaname’s mouth that could only be soothed by his sweet little sister. Usually, that was. At the sight of her curled up in a little ball against her door, desperately trying not to see a bloody scene only her eyes could see, he could only feel pity for her, his chest squeezing in sympathy and guilt for what he was about to do. However, he knew that this was the best course of action to take. Any longer and he might risk her harming herself in her growing insanity or being awakened and enslaved by Rido. Compared to those two very undesirable options, it would be infinitely better if he took care of her now, before she could fall to the debts of her own imagination or into the younger Kuran’s hands.

“The world is dyed with blood and it won’t go back to the way it was before” Yuuki said as she reached up to the falling snowflakes as if she was trying to catch them, her body shivering in the cold that she would no longer feel in a few minutes.

“I only wanted to remember my past. Why did this happen?” she asked her brother who was holding onto her carefully where she was draped over his lap.

“Yuuki, it’s okay now” Kaname spoke up, trying to sooth and comfort her, hoping to get some more focus back into her garnet orbs, the dazed, far-away look in them concerning him. Her eyes remained clouded when she turned them to him, following the sound of his voice.

“Try to awaken, before you are destroyed” the pureblood said before slowly but deliberately leaning down towards her neck, noticing how her eyes slid shut, no doubt still under the effects of the powers he had used on her before so he could take her out of her room without a struggle. Hugging her closer and preparing to face resistance, he allowed his fangs to elongate, sinking into her skin and cutting into the jugular vein that laid below. Warm, rich fluid filled his mouth before he could even apply suction, the taste of her on his tongue sending a shiver down his spine. The iron was familiar, mixed in with the flavor of candied rose petals and hints of white chocolate, muted by something that was definitely human. Kaname knew that when she awakened, the taste of human would be replaced with that of a pureblood, strengthening the other flavors as a result.

It didn’t take long before Yuuki started to struggle, painfully aware of the teeth lodged into her neck. The pureblood king was unsurprised, his hand that had been supporting the back of her head shifting until his fingers curled around her mouth, muting her cries of panic as he continued to indulge in her blood. Only when she seized her struggle, her body falling limp in his arms, did Kaname retract his fangs from her skin to look at her. Her face was pale and slack in unconsciousness, her skin still warm to the touch as he brushed her bangs from her face before bringing his wrist to his mouth. His own blood was flavorless in his mouth, but it mattered little when he considered the purpose for it. Yuuki’s lips were soft against his when he pressed them together, prying her mouth open carefully with his own. Unresponsive as she was, some of the blood escaped past the corners of her lips as he transferred the liquid from his mouth to hers, keeping his fingers against her throat to make sure she was swallowing it down out of reflex, even in her unconscious state.

Not that she remained unconscious for long when the reflex kicked in, struggling in surprise when her brother made use of the opportunity that presented itself. Yuuki was too much out of it to refuse him when his tongue caressed hers under the pretense of making sure she swallowed down the fluid he was forcing her to ingest, coaxing her instincts to respond while her brain was over-loaded with questions. The Kuran ancestor didn’t push his luck too far, pulling back and straightening up once he was sure her mouth was empty save for his presence that was removed from the warm cavern once their lips separated.

“Yuuki” he called her in a soft voice, reaching up a hand to wipe the blood away from her cheek as she stared up at him, her wide eyes both vacant yet full of conflicting emotions.

“Do you remember who I am?” he asked, not moving away when her hand reached up to touch his cheek, taking in his face as if she was seeing it for the first time, her gaze shifting all over to commit his features to her memory. He couldn’t help but lean into her touch as her small hands framed his face, her warmth seeping into his skin.

“You’re my-” she started but cut herself off when something behind the pureblood drew her attention.

“I would suggest cutting this family reunion short” a familiar voice spoke up and Kaname was mildly surprise, turning his head to look over his shoulder, up at the huntress standing on the highest surface of the entrance gates to the academy, not looking down at them but staring out across the distance. The wind was pulling on her ponytail, the moonlight catching the strands as if they were thin strings of actual silver. Her blazer was left open, billowing open to reveal the hilt of bloody rose in the holster underneath her arm against her ribs.

“This whole blood swapping has drawn quite a lot of attention” she added, finally glancing down at the Kuran duo. There was a chill to her gaze but none of the unadulterated rage Kaname had expected to see. He had prepared himself to being shot at least twice by the huntress and was taken somewhat off guard when she didn’t even bother with taking out her gun. No, instead, she warned them for the presence of the third Kuran in the distance, barely having entered the progenitor’s sensing range. Was her range larger than his?

“Ze…ro” Yuuki said, sounding just as surprised as Kaname at the lack of anger from the night class perfect, though it didn’t end up lasting long. Her consciousness, that was. The older pureblood was quick to catch her before she could fall, her slight weight falling back against his chest as his arm slipped around her waist to prevent her from crumpling down to the platform he had chosen to awaken her on, the view of the nearby town behind them. When he looked back up at Zero, still wondering about her reaction that was outside of his calculations, he saw her almost float down towards them, her skirt flipping up barely enough to reveal the shorts everyone knew she wore beneath them, showing the pureblood enough skin to distract him as he watched her land besides him without a sound.

“You should go. The night class will be in an uproar because of this and the entrance gate of the academy is hardly the place for her to have her first taste of blood lust” she suggested before looking over at the pureblood from the corner of her eyes.

“Wouldn’t want her to accidentally demolish the gates. We still need to use it” she added and Kaname gave an agreeing hum as he bend down to hook his arm underneath his sister’s knees, lifting her off her feet and into his arms.

“Could I trouble you to calm down the night class? Normally, Takuma would take care of them, but as night class perfect, you are the next best person to do so” he said, not hinting at the reason why the vice-dorm head wasn’t able to look after the rest of the vampire students. He looked at her, preparing for a rejection as she looked out over the forest that stretched before them, the town barely lit up in the distance.

“I suppose you make a point” she said as she pushed her hands into the pockets of her skirt, standing on the edge of the platform with only her heels.

“I do wonder if they’ll be able to calm down and listen to me before I decide it’s quicker to just shoot them” she said callously, as if she was commenting on the weather.

“I would appreciate it if you refrained from shooting them” Kaname said, watching as the silverette stepped off the edge without giving him an answer. Well, her not shooting either him or Yuuki when she found about his sister’s true nature was already way beyond anything he expected, asking for any more might be too much. It would be a miracle if they got through the night without a single victim and he knew better than to believe in miracles. He wished he had more time to focus on the huntress’s responses and demeanor, but he could feel his sister change right where they were standing and like Zero had brought up before, the entrance of the academy was not an ideal location for her to awaken.

 

***~*~*~*~*~***

 

“Yuuki” Kaname called out softly, carefully waking the new pureblood out of her nightmare, reaching up to take her hand in his.

“You don’t have to hold back” he told her, knowing exactly why she was clawing at her throat. What her eyes were seeing when they lit up red like glowsticks. Why she startled away from him before she was too entranced by the veins she could see beneath his skin to stop herself from taking what she wanted. She wasn’t kind about it, but perhaps this was his punishment.

“I’m sorry, Yuuki” he said, patting the back of her head as she drank greedily from his neck, her jaws clamping down with too much force that caused her to spill half of what she took into her mouth.

“I brought you back into this nightmare-ish world drowning in blood” he told her apologetic as he guided her through her first feeding, smelling the salt of her tears through the scent of his own blood.

“It’s alright, there is no need to cry. I have waited much to long for this day to come” he admitted, though the words felt heavy on his tongue. He could tell what she had seen in his blood from the way she was looking at him when she finally detached herself from his neck, having taken enough to make his head feel light but not enough to make him dizzy.

“Did you see something strange?” he asked, taking in the way she shivered in fear. Fearing him. Fearing the monster that was inside him. The monster he was.

“Yes. Something very scary” she admitted in a shaky, upset voice as she hugged herself, as if trying to keep herself together under the pressure of her own lust for blood. “But I’m not human either.”

She was so different from him. They might carry the same status, but they were nothing alike. Even if she was a vampire, a creature of the night that survived by feeding on humans, she was not nearly close to being the monster, the beast, that he was.

“I remember mother and how she sacrificed herself that night to cast a spell on me. And how father went upstairs to face that scary man to save me. So strong. They were so strong, both of them. But they’re no longer here” she said, grabbing her head at the onslaught of memories that were too much for her to handle so close after awakening.

“Yuuki.”

“Why did they do it?! Was someone after me?!” the now long-haired brunette said, too overwhelmed to keep her voice down.

“Don’t. Just calm down” Kaname said but it was too late. Her powers lashed out to take her turbulent emotions out on the wall behind them, nearly cracking the windows. The pureblood king didn’t even need to see the expression on her face to know that she was frightened by her own powers as she stared at the damage she had caused, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to keep her from falling apart.

“Don’t question your existence, Yuuki. Don’t question the choices Juri and Haruka made to keep you safe. What I did these past ten years to keep you safe” he told her, practically begged her.

“Kaname-sem- Onii-sama?” she asked as she looked up at him, a flush on her face, her emotions all over the place.

“There must be something wrong with me” she said and the older Kuran tilted his head, questioning why and not moving away when her hand reached up to touch his cheek, as if she couldn’t stand not having any contact with him.

“For me to have been in love with my own brother for all this time” she admitted, yet Kaname didn’t blink as he touched her chin, capturing it before she could look away from him in shame.

“So? What is so wrong with that?” he asked, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose, pulling back to look her in the face as he sensed her hesitance.

“But, I’ve lived as a human for all this time. For brother and sister to be lovers. That kind of thing” she said, trailing off, unsure of how to finish that sentence.

“Is something beasts do, right?” Kaname finished for her, tucking one of the long brown strands behind her ear as he rested his forehead against hers.

“We are not human, Yuuki. Mother and father were siblings too. From the moment you were born, you became my fiancée. And you still are, if you so wish to be. There is nothing for you to feel bad about” he told her before shifting so he could kiss the place where his forehead had been just a moment before. Before the princess could form a response, the scent of blood in the air distracted her, drawing both their attention. Kaname recognized it as Rima’s while Yuuki’s fear returned from her own reaction to the fragrance.

 

***~*~*~*~*~***

 

Kaname stared at the coffin inside the center of the bedroom in between two large canopy beds, the call from his master’s true body resonating from within it. Yet his attention was elsewhere.

“This is Ichijou-sama and Shiki-sama’s… no Rido-sama’s temporary residence. What do you want?” the other fragment of the twin hunters asked, his tone a little lower than Zero’s yet with almost the exact same face. The cold expressions they both wore was something that truly made them twins, yet Ichiru’s tone was cheekier, his eyes less expressive.

“Kiryuu Ichiru. Mind if I asked you to open that coffin?” the pureblood asked, watching the ‘human’ turn to said container with a thoughtful look.

“You can disobey, of course. I wouldn’t mind” he told the silverette who didn’t even bother looking at him as he mulled over his options.

“No” he said, kneeling down next to the coffin to pull on the chains, knowing exactly how to unwrap the shackles from the container.

“It’s similar. That obedience” Kaname couldn’t help but notice, earning himself a glare that was the exact same as Zero’s, yet missed the right heat to make a shiver go down his spine. Unimpressed, the pureblood folded his arms across his chest as he regarded the younger man.

“I wonder if I insulted you. But it is my first time seeing twin hunters. It’s quite rare, so” he said, trailing off as he watched the silverette move mechanically, as if he had unwrapped those chains before, often enough to know the motions by heart.

“In the case twins are born from a hunter family, they are always still-born. When the fetuses still have no sense of self, acting only on instinct, they will fight each other in the womb. Much like vampires” he told, knowing fully well the silverette was no doubt aware of the curse.

“Shizuka-sama said it was a fitting punishment for the hunters. For the sake of attaining the power to fight vampires, our ancestors ate a vampire” Ichiru responded, as if he was talking about the weather, the chains falling at his feet with a loud rattle. Kaname ignored the interruption.

“In a rare case where one fetus manages to consume the other fragment’s life force, the strongest hunter will be born” he said, leveling the silverette with a detached look.

“It seems like you were able to escape with a few fragments” he commented in a pitying tone, knowing it would grate on the weak hunter’s nerves and feelings. As he had expected, Ichiru’s composure cracked.

“Kaname-sama, you didn’t come here to discuss me and nee-chan” he said sharply as he pushed open the coffin’s lid with the tip of his katana’s sheath.

“The coffin is open as you’d wished and I cannot stop you. You want to destroy Rido-sama, right?” he asked, changing the subject after highlighting his relationship with Zero in an almost fond yet possessive manner that proved that Kaname’s provocation using his hate towards the huntress had worked.

“It shouldn’t be too hard for you to do so before, when you prevented him from returning to his original form by shattering his body. Yet you hadn’t done it back then. You couldn’t” Ichiru said, returning the provocation by rubbing his failure into his face as the pureblood approached the coffin. Kaname gave him a void look, holding his gaze with the same level of detachment as he was regarded with. It felt wrong to be looked at with such an emotionless gaze in the same lavender orbs as the huntress.

“It is true that I wanted to destroy him. If I had, perhaps Shizuka’s fate would have been different” he said as he turned his gaze to Rido’s gruesome vessel, hearing the male Kiryuu scoff ever so softly.

“You don’t know _how_ different” he said, implying there was something he knew that Kaname wasn’t aware of. The brunet brushed it off as another attempt at provocation, reaching out for the hilt of the katana that was unintentionally extended towards him.

“Now, uncle. The time I have longed for has arrived.”

 

***~*~*~*~*~***

 

“I’m surprise” Kaname said. “If I’d known you’re be this docile, I would have locked you up in a cage a long time ago.”

He stared at her, the would-be strongest huntress in existence, locked up inside a cage in the basement of the academy. She sat with her back against the wall, her ankles crossed with one knee raised, supporting her elbow and allowing her to rest her head on her bicep, holding onto her own wrist. Docile was the last word he would use to describe the silverette as she glared at him through her bangs, barely raising her head from her arm. Kaname almost wanted to take back his words.

Almost.

“Go away, Kuran. Your face is the last one I want to see at this moment. Shouldn’t you be with Yuuki right now?” she asked coldly, her voice echoing in the space, bouncing off the cold stone walls in a harsh manner compared to his own when he spoke.

“I’m pleased to see you are in good spirits. It wouldn’t do if the ‘piece’ I carefully raised for the past four years-”

“Don’t” Zero said, practically growling, as she cut him off, much to his confusion.

“First off, you didn’t raise me. My family and shishou did. I’m not a weapon for you to wield” she narrowed her lavender eyes at him.

“I would have told you to clean up your own goddamned mess, if I didn’t understand how absolute the bond between a master and a servant is” she added and Kaname barely refrained from frowning. Had Kaien-

“Don’t blame Cross for getting dragged into the mess that is your family” she said sharply, cutting off that thought before it had been able to form.

“I’m a hunter, Kuran. I notice things even if you don’t think I do. And even if I hadn’t noticed it, my shishou has. Is it really that odd that the number one hunter would investigate the disappearance of so many humans and not inform his student who is close by enough to assist him? Not all hunters blindly follow the president’s orders. Some are actually capable of thinking for themselves” she said before looking away from him.

“I know what you want me to do and I’m going to do it” she said and Kaname felt his hear skip an odd beat before her glare returned to him.

“Not because you ‘raised me’ to do so, but because it is something I have to do. To keep the people important to me and Cross’s lifework safe” she said before closing her eyes.

“Everyone has to carry out their part in this war. Cross, Shishou, the night class, Yuuki, you and me. My part is taking care of Rido. It’s something I must do. For my own reasons, and not yours” she said before standing up. Kaname didn’t shift a single muscle as he watched her approach him, stopping at the old iron bars that separated them, her pale hand coming up to rest on it as she leveled him with a hard look.

“I don’t know what your part in this war is, but if there is something I know about you, despite how I don’t like you, I can trust on the fact that you don’t do things half-assed. Especially not when it’s about Yuuki’s safety” she said and the pureblood held her gaze unflinching, unresponsive.

“You will just have to trust me to do the same.”

 

***~*~*~*~*~***

 

“Onii-sama” Yuuki broke the silence, sitting up on one side of the bed that used to be unnecessarily large when the Kuran king was using it on his own. Four posters supported the ceiling that allowed thick crème colored drapes to form a little fort around the two occupants of the bed, blocking out the outside world. The pureblood princess had her arms wrapped around her raised knees, burying her face into them until only her eyes peeked out over them, looking at the curtains in front of her without really looking at them.

“Is it really okay for us to be here? To remain at the academy after everything that happened?” she asked and Kaname lowered the book in his hands that he had been reading in an attempt to divert his attention, directing his gaze at his sister and fiancée’s back.

“I asked you if you wished to go to our estate or if you wanted to stay here. Do you wish to change your mind?” he questioned and after a few seconds of hesitation, saw her head move from left to right.

“No. As purebloods, we need to take responsibility for everything that has happened. As rulers of the vampire society, we need to take responsibility for the involvement of the council of ancients who we allowed to lead our race. For that reason, we need to stay in a place where they can keep an eye on us and where we can set an example. We need to earn the trust of the hunters once more. For our race, for the chairman and for Zero” she said, wrapping her hand over her head as she ducked it.

“We have caused them so much suffering and gave them so much trouble, and they are still paying for everything we did” she said, flinching softly when Kaname shifted closer to her, his hand touching her back gently, the long strands of her hair soft against the tips of his fingers.

“You did nothing wrong, Yuuki. I was the one who used both Kiryuu-kun and Cross. I am the only one who needs to carry this guilt” he said, but knew that his words were falling on deaf ears. At least to an extent.

“Did you see her?” she asked, her voice small as she ducked her head. Kaname didn’t need her to mention a name for him to know who she was talking about. It wasn’t an image he could get out of his mind either.

“I did” he admitted, yet she felt the need to describe the scene once more.

“After the fight, she just stood there for hours. She didn’t move, didn’t blink. She just stared up at the sky, as if she was waiting for the sun to come and end her” she said, her shoulders starting to shake.

“She had been crying” she said, her own tears audible in her voice. Kaname pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her to give her all the comfort she needed. Her hands clutched onto his white button up, her knees resting on his thighs while she buried her face into his chest, the salt of her tears poisoning the air and soaking into the fabric of his shirt.

“There were tear-tracks on her face. She had cried hard enough for her healing to be unable to catch up to it” she cried and the older pureblood felt his chest clench together, not only because she was crying.

“And then she carried her own brother’s corpse out of that building! I can’t imagine ever having to carry your life-less body, knowing you are no longer alive and that there was only an empty shell in my arms, cold and unmoving” she said and Kaname tightened his grip on her, placing a kiss on the top of her head as she choked on her own sadness and sympathy for her adoptive sister.

“No need to worry, my dear Yuuki. You will not need to carry my body. Ever” he said, knowing that if he ever died, he would crumble apart in shards of glass. There would be no body left to carry. However, he was not going to remind her of that fact, not wanting to upset her any more than she already was. He had planned to take her away to the Kuran estate in order for her to take her time to adjust to her birthright. To learn how to control both her powers and her blood-lust. However, she had made a point when she had chosen to stay. And to be honest, part of him didn’t want to leave either. He would just need to keep a closer eye on his sister to make sure she was adjusting like she was supposed to. Both of them knew how important it was for them to behave correctly now that they were under so much attention from both the vampire society and the hunter society. Purging the entire vampire council had been a radical action, but it was something that needed to be done in order to take away the infection in their society before it could do any more harm.

Kaname didn’t regret what he had done and he would now take responsibility by making sure nothing like this could happen again. To do so, he could not go into hiding like he had wished. He was needed at the front-lines, representing the vampire race to make up for the mistakes that had been made, proving that peace between the three species was a possibility. He needed to be the example for both his own race and the hunters who stood in between the vampires and the humans. It would take time for the trust to be restored between the two councils, but it was necessary for the peace which he wanted so much.

Kaname ran his fingers through his sister’s chocolate locks when she had cried herself to sleep, tucking her in carefully before leaving the room. The sun outside was already starting to rise, yet he did not feel like sleeping. He doubted he would be able to even if he tried. At the moment, his fiancée’s presence, which usually soothed him like no other, had no effect on him whatsoever. For once in his long, _long_ life, he was at a loss. It was subtle but it was there, an ache in his chest and a tingle in the back of his mind. He didn’t know what to do about it and it was impossible to ignore it when it made him restless. He couldn’t put it out of his mind, thinking about it constantly.

It wasn’t enough.

Yuuki’s blood which he had so craved for, her change that he so had wished for.

It wasn’t enough.

He couldn’t understand it. For the past ten years, he had done nothing but long to sample his fiancée’s blood, to hold her in his arms, unafraid to be true to himself, to his nature. Unafraid to desire her blood because she would understand it, the way he lusted for the warm, luscious liquid that flowed through her veins. The way he lusted for her. For the words of love she spoke to him, about him. For the touches she rewarded him with so easily, revering and affectionate. For the way her small mouth would touch his lips, pliant and soft, without any embarrassment or aversion she had felt prior, immediately after awakening.

He had everything he ever wanted.

Yet, it wasn’t enough.

His feet had still carried him across the hallway, to a certain door, his fist rapping softly on the wooden surface before he could stop himself. The door opened, revealing a vampire the brunet had not expected to see. Emerald green eyes looked at him with a slight hint of hostility buried underneath a thick layer of emotionlessness, the orbs framed by long black bangs. Instantly, the odd feeling in Kaname’s chest made place for annoyance as he was forced to look up at the bigger but younger vampire. His hair was down instead of the ponytail he always wore it in, much like the silverette, his uniform exchanged for the same outfit he had arrived in. The sight of the vampire inside the huntress’s room was not what irked him, nor the animosity in his gaze. It was the fact that the younger male was completely blocking any and all access to the room, not allowing him to throw even one glimpse inside.

“Yuuya” Zero’s voice came from inside the room, sounding disturbingly lackluster as it drew the attention of the two males who looked in the direction of the sound. Or at least Kaname attempted to, unable to look past the younger vampire’s wide frame.

“It’s alright. Let him in” she told the raven who hesitated before taking a step back and turning around. The brunet felt a flutter in his chest at the permission he received, entering the room behind the level C. It was impossible to ignore the scent that hung in the room, purely Zero and nothing else, her personal fragrance saturated in the air that filled the space. Unconsciously, the pureblood inhaled through his nose.

“You can go now, Yuuya. You don’t need to stay up for me” Zero said as the raven paused at the end of the small hallway.

“But” he started, cutting himself off.

“I’ll be fine. Go to sleep” she assured him, though neither of them men were inclined to believe her after what had happened and after hearing the tone of her voice. The sight of her didn’t inspire much confidence in her words either.

“Yes, Zero-sama” Yuuya responded, bowing from the waist down with his arm across his chest, his hand hovering over his heart. He didn’t bother meeting the pureblood’s sideway look as he retired for the night, retreating from the room with the slightest of noise. Kaname turned his attention to the silverette sitting in the only armchair in the room, her legs swung across the arm-rest, crossed at the ankles and leaning sideways against the back-leaning. There was a book in her lap, one the brunet had no doubt was only there to keep her hands occupied. A knitted blanket was wrapped loosely around her, falling off one of her shoulders to reveal the beige and khaki button up and T-shirt combination the pureblood recognized from his encounter with her twin brother. Her bare feet were partially covered by a grey track pants that was too long and her wet hair was curled up on the edge of her seat, only adding to the picture of fragility she painted.

Kaname’s heart bled at the sight.

For once, he felt guilty.

For everything he had put her through. For the suffering and pain he had forced her to endure. For every tear he had caused her to spill. For how he had helped tear apart her family, twice. For how he had manipulated her. For how he had discarded her as a person, turning her into an object for his own convenience.

She looked like she was about to break, like she was breaking and like she was broken beyond repair, all three stages combined.

For once, Kaname wished she didn’t look like that.

“Are you just going to keep standing there? Rejoicing at seeing the high and mighty huntress so weak?” Zero asked as she shifted, letting her feet come down on the wooden floor before rising up to full height, looking at the book that dropped onto the ground with empty gaze.

“No” Kaname answered to both questions but without elaborating any further. He wasn’t sure why he was even here, why his feet had carried him here, of all places, instead of remaining in bed with his fiancée. He watched the silverette brush past him, the blanket pooling in the crook of her elbow while barely clinging onto her shoulder on the other side, dragging across the floor as she walked up to the blue sideboard behind him. She bend over to pull open the lowest drawer, the melodious yet chaotic rattling of glass bottles making the pureblood frown in confusion. He looked down at the contents of the drawer, blinking when he found the entire space filled by bottles of what was undoubtedly alcohol, too much of them to count in a single glance. Zero pulled out two random bottles, clearly not caring about which one she picked out as she tossed one of them up in the air, the brunet’s reflexes kicking in, catching the bottle up before it could start its decent to the ground.

He wanted to ask why she had so much alcohol and even where she got it from, but he found that he didn’t care. Instead, he looked at the bottle of tequila in his hand as Zero pushed the drawer closed with her foot before glancing at the bottle of gin in hers. He preferred whiskey or cognac himself, but he wasn’t going to complain. It was already more than enough that she wasn’t kicking him out or trying to poison him. He took the bottle with him to the biggest sofa, taking a seat on it as the silverette returned to the armchair. The tops of their bottles cracked open as they twisted it, not simultaneously but close enough for them not to care who had opened their bottle first. Zero wasn’t offering him a glass to drink from but he hadn’t expected her to either way, putting the bottle at his lips to take a swig, watching how the huntress tipped her head back without hesitation.

Neither of them said a word, basking in the silence and savoring the alcohol they were downing, the way it burned as it slid down their throats in an attempt to burn away the bitter taste that was left in their mouth in the aftermath of the whole Rido situation. Both of them had different reasons for indulging in alcohol, reasons neither of them wanted or needed to talk about. Zero was grieving, mourning her brother’s death, while Kaname felt empty and confused. Everything seemed to have passed in a blur he had hardly been able to keep up with, his reactions completely different from what he had expected. It was anticlimactic, almost. He had anticipated to be elated, relieved to finally have his sister and fiancée in his arms. Yet all he could think of was Zero instead of Yuuki. The conversation he had had with the huntress in the basement cell instead of the one with Yuuki after she had awakened, when she had declared her love for him. Zero’s motionless form in the aftermath of her fight with Rido instead of Yuuki’s sleeping form in his arms. The silverette’s grief instead of the taste of Yuuki’s blood on his tongue.

The memories he had read in that blood.

Clearly, he wasn’t the only one who was attracted to the ethereally pale guardian and the attention she drew wasn’t limited to men either. Nothing would have been able to prepare Kaname for the lewd dreams he had seen in Yuuki’s blood. Daydreams and lucid dreams of both of them. Half of the time, three of them. Him, her and Zero. Always in different locations and positions, but each one as explicit as the other. Sometimes, with Zero in between the two Kurans, Yuuki in between the huntress and the pureblood king, or even him sandwiched between them. While the brunet had to admit he hadn’t quite grasped his sister’s true personality, based on the things he had seen in her blood, he should be focusing on the way her blood had tasted on his tongue or even the feelings he held for her.

Yet all he could focus on were the dreams she had of the three of them.

He knew he shouldn’t. That he was the last one who had the right to think of her like that. That the last thing she needed was the person responsible for all the grief in her life to lust after her. He knew his feelings of wanting to dominate her were wrong but he couldn’t stop himself from the desire that coiled in his stomach each time he laid eyes on her. It was in a vampire’s nature to possess the things they believe belonged to them, almost to an obsessive level. But after everything he had done, he knew he could not feel this way about Zero. He did not have the right to, and that had nothing to do with his relationship with Yuuki.

With a sigh, Kaname placed the bottle on his lips again, tipping his head back like the huntress had done before, throwing back the rest of the liquid that filled at least half of the bottle in his hand. Even he had to gasp for air after the last drop touched his tongue, glancing up when another bottle was held out to him. Zero’s expression hadn’t changed yet and the pureblood doubted it would any time soon, accepting the bottle extended to him.

Kaname didn’t know why she was doing this. Why she was sharing her alcohol with him. It would be so much better if she’d just yelled at him, maybe even tried to shoot him. She did it all the time, and now, when he knew he deserved it, she wasn’t doing it. She wasn’t blaming him. She wasn’t screaming at him. She wasn’t beating him up. She wasn’t trying to kill him. She was accepting his company, someone she hated, and allowing him to drown his misery along with her. As if they had something in common. As if they understood each other. As if she had no reason to want him dead and as if he would not hesitate before defending himself.

The bottle was empty sooner than he anticipated, yet he didn’t even bother asking permission before taking the next one, tossing another bottle at the silverette when he noticed her place her own empty bottle on the floor at the foot of her chair. She didn’t say a word and the look they exchanged was brief, but it was more than enough. Kaname decided to take whatever he wanted, mentally promising to replace everything he took as he sat back down on the sofa. A sofa that was wide enough for him to lie back on without feeling cramped.

His head was spinning, his vision blurry and shifty even when he wasn’t moving, covering his closed eyes with the back of his hand, the other holding onto the bottle of whiskey standing on the ground next to him. There was a slight throb against the inside of his skull, warning him about an impending hangover that would last no longer than a couple of minutes, his mind not pleased with his trip from tipsy to incoherency. He was still floating in that space between reality and the darkness of unconsciousness, his ability to process things slowed down considerably. Considering the state he was in, it was no surprise that he ended up needing a couple of seconds to realize that the sun was probably already long up, his internal clock and his weary body struggling to correctly judge the time.

With a groan, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, swaying as the room spun around him in the opposite direction his head was turning. It was a nauseating feeling that wasn’t foreign to him, but it certainly had been a long time since he had allowed himself to indulge this much. In fact, he couldn’t remember doing so. At least not in this life-time. Sending a sideway look at his unlikely drinking companion, he saw her draped sideways over the arm-chair, almost in the same position she had been in when he had entered. However, this time her head had fallen back, her hair spilling onto the floor as she looked unseeingly at the ceiling. Kaname could swear he saw some tears leak out of the corners of her eyes, down her temples into her hair, but he was drunk, so what did he know? He flinched at the sound of bottles falling over as he shifted his feet underneath him, preparing to get up even when the silverette didn’t react.

The pureblood looked at the living area of the huntress’s dorm-room, wondering where the additional bottles had come from since there was no way that drawer had held enough of them to fill half of the rug that laid in the middle of the room. Or maybe he had counted wrong, he wasn’t sure. Was he seeing double? If he was, that was his cue to leave, a sign that he had stayed too long. Not that Zero had kicked him out, but he didn’t want to push the boundaries he knew she had. As he rose to his feet, he needed a second to find his balance before turning towards the door, giving a last glance at the unmoving silverette before disappearing into the hallways. He slipped into his shoes before pulling open the door.

“You’re the worst” the young vampire’s voice drifted through the air towards him, not heartbroken, but not angry either. It was unfeeling almost, empty yet sympathetic in a strange sort of way. Or perhaps Kaname truly was drunk out of his mind. He looked back at the direction of her voice before a barely noticeable smile curled up the corners of his lips.

“The absolute worst, undoubtedly” he agreed wholeheartedly and without hesitation. After everything he had done, the sins he carried with him, there was no way he could be anything less. The least he could do at this point was listen to her wishes and refrain from ever using her in one of his schemes again. While he was at it, he would make sure no-one else could use her either. She didn’t deserve it after being through what she had gone through. As someone who had used her as a pawn for more than four years and designing the downfall of her family, he felt like it was his job to make sure she remained untied, free of strings that would turn her into a puppet once more.

A way to atone, so to speak.

“Hmm? Kaname?” a voice spoke up as the pureblood barely left the women’s wing of the building, looking down at the staircase descending down. Takuma was walking towards him from having raided the kitchen, judging from the ice-cream tub that was in his hand.

“What are you still doing up? And coming from the girl’s wing at that?” he asked before a leer disfigured his normally friendly face.

“Kaname. Did you perhaps do something that I would need to punish you for as vice-dorm president?” he asked but his nose crinkled before he could even reach the top stairs, no doubt catching a whiff of the stench that clung to Kaname like his shadow.

“Ugh, you did” he said before looking impressed.

“Who even managed to sneak so much alcohol inside?” he asked, slowing down the closer he got, his green gaze flittering all over the pureblood’s face.

“Enough to get you drunk?” he asked, genuinely surprised about this fact. The brunet couldn’t blame him for no-one had ever seen him drunk. At gatherings, he was always extremely careful about what he drank and how much he drank. Even at the dorm, when they held birthday parties of holiday parties, nobody ever saw him indulge in more than a few glasses of wine. He doubted any of them even considered the possibility of him getting hammered.

“Yes. But I am already sobering up again. So if you don’t tell anyone about this slip up, I won’t tell anyone about your nightly visits to the kitchen” the pureblood said as he continued walking again, a little slower than usual to hide his sway.

“I doubt Ruka will be pleased to hear you stole her strawberry ice-cream” he pointed out and Takuma’s eyes widened.

“It’s not for me! It’s for Senri! He asked me to bring it for him” he defended himself and Kaname exhaled sharply through his nose.

“And those two spoons in your hand tell me you are his very willing accomplice” he said, sounding almost amused as the blonde tried to subtly hide the two silver spoons in his hand, pointedly looking away from his oldest friend.

“Alright. Your silence for my silence” he said before raising a hand to cover his nose, sending the brunet a disgusted yet amused look.

“Though, honestly, Kaname, take a shower and burn those clothes. You smell like a brewery” he commented and Kaname didn’t dare looking down at himself to take a sniff, not wanting to test his questionable balance. Takuma did that for him when he smacked him on the shoulder, forcing him to stumble forward as he struggled to catch his weight again.

“Well, I hope you don’t have a hangover! We have to start rebuilding the school tomorrow!” he said and ducked in his room before he could see the glare the pureblood was directing at him.

 

***~*~*~*~*~***

 

To be honest, this was not what Kaname had in mind when Yagari had suggested for the night class to rebuild the buildings that had gotten damaged in the fight with Rido who had teamed up with the vampire hunters’ association. He had expected them to hire builders, people who knew what they were doing. But instead of that, the hunter turned temporary headmaster had left Zero in charge of the rebuild with the same amount of money the night class used to hold birthday parties at their dorm. Either their parties were exceedingly extravagant and expensive, or the budget they had received was inhumanly limited. Kaname was betting his money on a mix of both, but the silverette hadn’t blinked at the received budget. Surely, she must be one of the thriftiest people the pureblood had ever met, for she had decided to save up on money by forgoing hiring builders.

“We are all vampires with super speed and above human strength. Why waste money on something we can do ourselves?”

With those words, she had set the night class to work.

Kaname watched the mass of students move about around him, all of them uniformly dressed in a grey unflattering dungarees and boots. The only differences were the clothes they chose to wear underneath to keep warm as they worked. They reminded the pureblood a little of ants, working without a break, though Zero wasn’t sitting idle either. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say she was doing most of the work. Like all the other students, she wore a grey, unflattering overall, but she had left one of strap of the top left undone to reveal more of the white T-shirt underneath, the sleeves rolled up past her shoulders.

“I can’t carry this much” Aidou whined, standing next to the silverette who Kaname was studying unconsciously. His hands rested on the handles of the wheel-barrow he was using, the tub filled with pieces of debris that Zero had dropped into it.

“Grow a pair, Busa. We’re almost done with cleaning the debris. You don’t hear anyone else complain, do you?” she asked as she reached up to wipe her forehead with the back of her black gloved hand, brushing away her sweat and the strands that had escaped the bun on the back of her head.

“Yeah, because they escaped to the store to take care of the interior design, claiming it was outdated” the blonde responding with a roll of his eyes, mentioning Ruka and Rima who had immediately taken the chance to escape once it had presented itself. Well, Ruka had and had dragged Rima with her, claiming that she needed an assistant. Not that Rima had resisted much. Their skills were put to much better use at the store than at the building site, but that made their role in the rebuild no less important. Everyone was carrying their own weight, doing more manual labor than they would ever do in their entire lives. Takuma was having the time of his life and had yet to stop smiling since they had started, practically skipping around despite the job he was doing. Shiki had made it easy for himself, using his blood whip to move pieces of debris, wrapping it around a couple of fallen chunks like a net.

Kain was sitting on top of the wall together with Yuuya, both of them having removed their tops, their vampiric resistance preventing them for receiving any injuries while they used Kain’s control over fire to weld the framing inside the walls, fortifying them so they could rebuild the wall even stronger. Seiren was working silently without drawing any attention to herself, just like Kaname, though the pureblood received much more attention. No surprise there considering he had taken a leaf out of his cousin’s book and was using his telekinesis to move the largest parts of the debris. Zero did the same but on brute strength, the lean muscles in her arms bulging as she started to lift a boulder at least four times her own size. She paused when she felt some of the weight being relieved from her arms but accepted Seiren’s help without a word of complaint.

“I’ve brought snacks and drinks!” Yuuki called out as she approached the group of working students, her voice loud enough to draw everyone’s attention as she carried over several trays together with the kitchen staff. Most of the vampires, including the kitchen staff, looked embarrassed about a pureblood doing something as mundane as bringing them refreshments, but the princess was quick to wave it off.

“Since I don’t have precise control of my powers like onii-sama has, I’m afraid I will only destroy more than I rebuild. This is the least I can do to assist” she said as she placed the tray in her hands down on the table that had been stalled out.

“Please, help yourselves. There is more than enough for everyone” she invited everyone to take whatever they wanted as they approached the table, not wanting to let her efforts go to waste because surely, that was ruder than eating something she had prepared, an action they thought to be below someone of her stand. Kaname had used the same way of thinking against them to get them to stop complaining about him helping with the rebuild.

“Here, onii-sama” Yuuki said as she held out a tall glass filled with what looked and smelled like fruit-infused water. Kaname smiled fondly at her as he accepted the beverage, raising it to his lips as he noticed her attention shifting. He followed her line of gaze towards the building. Or to be more precise, towards where Zero was talking with Yuuya. From this distance and the hushed tone they were using, the pureblood couldn’t catch what they were saying, instead taking in the way his fiancée’s eyes seemed to spark red before she looked away swiftly, turning his attention to her brother instead.

“How does it taste?” she asked and Kaname smiled at her.

“It’s very refreshing, Yuuki. Thank you” he responded, not showing he had noticed how she had been looking at Zero. Kaname didn’t know if it were actual feelings of love his sister felt towards the huntress, or if it was just a matter of wanting to possess her. A subconscious desire she had felt about someone who drank her blood even when her vampire side had been sealed away. It seemed like the line between desire and obsession blurred whenever a Kuran wanted something or when they felt something. Truly, it seemed like the pureblood king didn’t know his sister as well as he thought he did.

“I’ll go take a glass to Zero as well. I’m sure she’s thirsty too” Yuuki said pleased, but was stopped before she could move.

“No need” a voice spoke up nearby, drawing their attention to the silverette who approached the table with the long-haired raven on her heels, walking politely behind her.

“Oh, Zero! I didn’t see you coming!” the Kuran princess said as she perked up in the huntress’s presence even when the taller woman didn’t bother to look at her.

“Do you want a snack?” Yuuki asked as Zero picked up a glass, giving it a cold look of suspicion.

“If you made it, fuck no” she said before finally looking up at the young pureblood who had flinched back at her harsh rejection.

“You’re as bad as Cross and I’d rather not test if vampires are really immune to all poison” the huntress added and Yuuki gasped dramatically before leaning closer towards the taller woman.

“I didn’t poison it!” she said insulted with her hands placed on her hips, on the receiving end of a dry look over the rim of a glass.

“Not intentionally, no. But I’m sure between you and Cross, you’ll be able to find a poison for vampires in no time” she said and Yuuki huffed as she pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she straightened up again. Kaname was pleased to see his sister relax as she fell into the old banter with her fellow perfect, though it didn’t end up lasting long before the silverette went back to work, joined by Yuuya and Seiren, who preferred to work over socializing. Yuuki looked somewhat disappointed about the short interaction, but cheered up when her brother patted her head, smiling up at him. The male pureblood returned back to work as well, prompting the others to do the same.


	7. A scene straight from hell.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like I mentioned before, from here on out, it stops following canon completely. Not that it ever did considering Zero is a woman in this, but you get my point ^^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

_The scent of blood penetrated the air, the wind carrying it down to the cellar where Zero was sit_ _ting. She didn’t need more than a little sniff to recognize the thick fragrance of vanilla, immediately getting to her feet, faster than a human could track. The heavy iron gates that locked her inside the cold, brick room, crashed against the opposite wall without resisting against the burst of power from the pureblood, not daring to stop her from rushing out of the basement. Not even the speed of light could attempt to keep up with her as she made her way_ _outside, pausing only to make sure where the scent originated from, the_ _fragrance_ _all but becoming visible in the air. She knew her eyes were glowing bright red but couldn’t find it in herself to care, pushing off to follow the trail left in the air. The door of the moon dorms flew open as she leaped the fence, flying inside and up the stairs._  

_“Ichiru!” she called out as she saw her brother stumble out of one of the dorm rooms in the male wing of the building. His arm was wrapped around his middle, no doubt to keep pressure on the wound in his side that was oozing blood like mad. His eyes rose to meet hers as she forcefully shoved down any feeling_ _s_ _that might cause them to glow. The last thing she wanted him to see was her hunger, how she reacted to his bloo_ _d_ _. Controlling her blood lust was so much easier as a pureblood than as a level D, which was to be expected, but it was still something she was grateful for. Ichiru seemed surprised to see her but it soon disappeared into relief despite the grimace that pulled down his lips._  

_“Zero” he said, his voice strained as he leaned against the door. “You’re not supposed to be here.”_  

_“Fuck that” she said, shooting forward when her brother buckled through his knees, catching his weight against her body. She wrapped her arms around his torso, barely holding back a flinch when he hissed in pain._ _Immediately, she shifted her arm away from the highest gash in his side that was_ _gushing blood, the liquid soaking into both their clothes_ _. Zero felt a shiver run down her spine_ _as the smell drifted up into her nose, the heat of the liquid warm against her skin._ _She pushed it away almost easily, more concerned about her brother’s health as she walked back towards the wall behind her, sliding down carefully to take the strain off Ichiru’s trembling legs._  

_“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to come running here after you allowed yourself to be locked up so easily like that_ _the male Kiryuu said_ _, not even bothering to rearrange himself into a more comfortable position instead of the crumpled one he was in now._  

_“ I_ _thought I would need to come to you” he_ _added as he_ _turned his head to let his cheek rest on the older silverette’s shoulder_ _, the back of his head brushing her jaw._  

_“Why would you do that, idiot?! You need to go to a doctor, not me” Zero responded angrily, not believing what her brother was saying. Was he an idiot? He was obviously hurt! He needed help, not her! She didn’t have a medical degree or even enough knowledge of medical treatment to take care of his wound. She knew the basics of first aid, nothing as extensive as what was needed to treat the gashes in her brother’s side._  

_“I don’t want to go to a doctor” Ichiru said stubbornly, a bull-headed glint in his voice that told the pureblood he was not changing his mind and that the only way he would go see a doctor was if she dragged him there kicking and screaming. They both knew Zero would never do that to him. She was too soft-hearted to take away his own free will and to go in against the choices he ha_ _d_ _made._ _The feeling of being_ _forced_ _to go through some_ _thing_ _they didn’t want to_ _,_ _was one she was painfully acquainted with and one she would never_ _wish on someone else, especially not her brother._  

_“Ichiru” she started in the hope to talk some sense into him, to change his mind, but was cut off abruptly._  

_“No” he said curtly and Zero tightened her grip on him_ _, glaring at the opposite wall_ _._  

_“Ichiru, please. Let me take you to a doctor_ _. You need to get help” she said, talking quick enough to prevent him from_ _cutting her off again. But instead, this time he chose to ignore her._  

_“_ _You know, I knew it from the start” he said solemnly_ _, his words confusing the Hio princess._  

_“That we weren’t twins. I couldn’t deny the fact that we were siblings, but it was obvious that we weren’t twins” he said before sagging even further against her_ _, letting go of a soft sigh._  

_“Yet I still feel so at ease when you hold me like this. When I’m with you” he said and Zero turned her gaze to the back of his head, remaining silent when words failed her._  

_“I used to be so scared, when we were younger” he admitted, as if he was telling her something new. They might not be twins but they were extremely close. Close enough to be able to converse with_ _out_ _words. To know what the other was thinking with just a look. They kept secrets from each other, yes, but the only reason they had them was because they respected each other_ _enough_ _to allow the secrets to remain just that._ _The fact that Ichiru had been scared all the time when they had been younger had hardly been a secret._  

_“I knew about mom and dad and how they were forced to tell the association_ _that I was no good. That I would never be a hunter” Ichiru said, his words feeling like a vice around Zero’s ribcage._  

_“That they had given up on me” he added, not a single emotion in his voice while his sister couldn’t help but tighten her grip on him._  

_“_ _I was so afraid that you would do the same” he continued,_ _his words_ _an invisible hand wrapping around her throat and slowly squeezing it._  

_“_ _I was afraid you would reject me, just like they did. So I rejected you first to prevent myself from getting hurt. That’s why I went with Shizuka-sama” he said before chuckling softly, yet without any amusement._  

_“I figured that if I left you first, you couldn’t leave me” he added, finally some feeling entering his voice._ _It felt like a knife_ _was plunged_ _in_ _to her_ _chest, a rusted one that was twisted around mercilessly in an attempt to measure up to the_ _pained_ _tone in his voice._  

_“What are you saying? I could never leave you, Ichiru” she said, her voice firmer than she actually felt_ _, resting her cheek against the back of his head as she closed her eyes, her eyebrows drawing together._  

_“I love you, Zero” he confessed, his hand fisting in the fabric of her skirt. “Not like a brother should love his sister_ _, but like a man loves a woman._ _”_  

_“I know” the pureblood admitted, once again tightening her arms around his torso_ _to pull him closer_ _, feeling his heart beat next to hers, slow_ _and calm_ _compared to the rhythm of her own._ _As if he had made peace with the inevitable that was looming on the horizon._  

_Zero hadn’t._ _She didn’t want to either._  

_“_ _I didn’t want you to reject me._ _I wouldn’t be able to handle it if you rejected me in the same way mom and dad rejected me” he said and the vampire shook her head._  

_“I could never reject you” she said, feeling his hand rise to settle on her side, his fingers digging into her hip with barely noticeable strength._ _He probably barely had any left, but Zero felt it none the less. As if every one of her senses was so focused on him that she wouldn’t even miss a single strand of_ _his hair that shifted out of place, the places where he was touching her warm with life._ _She didn’t want it to fade, the idea_ _alone_ _making her grind her teeth._  

_“Do you mean that?” he asked as he pushed himself away from her, the movement painfully slow as proof of how much blood he had lost. Was still losing._  

_“Of course I do. You know I do” Zero said, letting one arm fall away from his torso when he reached up to touch her elbow in a meaningful gesture, allowing him to take her hand in_ _to_ _his as he looked at her, his face paler than before. His eyes were getting haz_ _y_ _and sweat dripped from his temple_ _down to his chin,_ _evidence of how much effort it took him to move_ _, to remain conscious_ _. Yet he still leaned forward, closing the distance between their faces to let his lips brush against her gently but without hesitation._ _Zero didn’t push him away or reject him in any way, shape or form. Instead, she found herself doing the opposite, a jolt_ _shoot_ _ing down her spine as she closed her eyes, eagerly yet carefully pressing back against his lips. His fingers slipped in between hers_ _,_ _folding over the back of her hand as he parted his lips to capture her upper lip_ _, breaking apart after a few long moments_ _of_ _chase_ _and release with the slightest hints of brushing tongues_ _, their foreheads resting together while his eyes remained closed._  

_“Do you_ _really_ _mean that?” he asked, hope barely audible in his voice as Zero studied his face._  

_“Yes” she answered, feeling him tighten his grip on her hand._  

_“Then devour me” he said,_ _instant_ _refusal on the tip of her tongue_ _but_ _cut off by the press of his lips against hers._  

_“_ _I want you to love me_ _._ _Like a true vampire. Like the pureblood you are and always were supposed to be” he said, lifting his chin to let his nose brush against hers._  

_“Vampires do that, right? Inbreeding?” he asked, his brows pinching together as Zero’s heart hammered away against the inside of her rib-cage, as if it was trying to break through her bones. She knew what he was asking of her, but she didn’t want to hear it. Yet she did. And for that, she hated herself._  

_“I-I could change you” she tried, forcing the saliva past the hand that was curled around her throat in a vice._  

_“I’m a pureblood. It’s what we do when we bite a human” she added but Ichiru shook his head, his mind already made up._  

_“That would mean I would only be with you for a couple of decennia, a few centuries if I’m lucky. I don’t want that and you don’t want to change me either” he said and Zero couldn’t deny it, the idea of biting him with the intent of infecting him with her poison making her stomach coil in disgust._ _However, if he had wished for it, she would have done it and they both knew it. But that was not what Ichiru wanted either._ _They had both suffered more than enough and the last thing he wanted was for her to look at him with nothing but guilt for the rest of their lives._  

_“_ _I want you to consume me. To take in everything I am so I can become part of you forever. So I can never be alone”_ _he said, his voice gaining a pleading edge towards the end that re_ _sonated_ _with_ _in the pureblood’s heart._  

_“Please, Zero_ _. Don’t leave me alone” he said, practically begging her_ _to grant him his wish. Zero could not find it in herself to refuse him, her eyes closing as she swallowed painfully, feeling tears roll down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes._ _She didn’t respond verbally,_ _not even nodding_ _, instead leaning forward to give a soft_ _but drawn-out_ _peck on his lips. Ichiru tilted his head back, baring his slender_ _neck to her as she lowered her head towards it. She squeezed her eyes_ _shut more forcefully as she let her lips brush against his pale, sweat-damp skin_ _before baring her fangs. The male Kiryuu let out a rushed breath as her fangs sank into the jugular vein in his throat, easily tearing through his skin without resistance_ _. His blood pooled into her mouth, filling her senses with the heady taste of his life_ _, sending a rush through her system. She hummed into his_ _neck,_ _pulling his body closer against her own_ _. His arms wrapped around her in return, sliding through her hair and_ _holding onto her with as much strength as he could._  

_“Zero” he breathed, sounding both pleased and pained, asking for something he didn’t need to put into words. She_ _knew exactly what he wanted, reading it in his rich blood that settled in the pit of her stomach. With no trouble at all, she allowed her powers to flare that slightest bit_ _, just enough to manifest blooming branches of a peach blossom tree around them like a cage, blocking out the world and reality._ _The reality that with each hungry draught she pulled from his body,_ _hooked on the fragile vanilla flavor that bloomed on her tongue,_ _she was pushing him further into the grave._ _A grave she would never be able to follow him into._ _The part he left behind in her would never be enough._  

Blinking, the scene in front of her changed from the cage made from the dark branches with vivid pink, almost red peach blossoms, to a grand room that was larger than any room should be. The lights were anything but dim, more than a handful of large diamond chandeliers spreading the light across the entire room, highlighting every piece of jewelry that was worn, making it sparkle harder than it normally would. The room was full of vampires, dressed in high quality threads that normal people would kill for to wear. Or at least sell half of their organs for in order to be able to pay for them and then be too scared to wear them in case they tore something. The smell of artificial blood hung in the air, something the few hunters that were present were unable to smell because it was infused in the wine that flowed richly like a waterfall. The room was filled with chattered, creating a head-ache inducing chaos as every vampire in the room crowded around the guest of honor. The person this entire party was organized for. 

Kuran Yuuki. 

The youngest pureblood of the Kuran line was welcomed to the vampire world at her brother’s side, congratulated on her awakening and her engagement to Kaname. 

“You shouldn’t look like that, Zero. This is a party. You should be smiling” Kaien said next to her, pulling his elbow back where he had subtly nudged the silverette out of her memories. She looked up at him, her crying without tears expression morphing into an annoyed yet cold one as Yuuya’s gaze shifted from the former chairman to his mistress. He had been standing behind them the entire time, looking somewhat uncomfortable in a basic black suit, his spine straight and his arms folded behind his back. His hair was tied up in the same way Zero’s was, though the silverette had used her green cord while the raven was using a red ribbon. 

“Chairm- no, President Cross is right, Zero” a second voice said as it approached the two highest ranked hunters in the room, drawing their attention to the blonde vampire that walked up to them with two full wine glasses in his hands. Aidou looked every inch of the aristocrat he was, clad in a tailored blue windowpane suit with a white button up and a lighter colored blue tie, bottomed by brown dress shoes that resounded with every step he took. Part of his hair was slicked back behind his ear, the other side left to curl away from his eye like always. 

“This is a party to welcome Kuran Yuuki-sama into our world and you’re scaring everyone away when you look like that” he said before holding up one of the glasses with a smirk. 

“Perhaps some wine will brighten up your mood?” he suggested and Zero scoffed as she accepted the extended glass. 

“As if there will ever be enough wine for me to brighten up in a place like this” she said while raising the glass to her lips, taking a sip regardless of the few curious looks that were directed at her. 

“But it’s a start” she said and Kaien heaved a sigh as Aidou chuckled. 

“I have an alcoholic daughter” the VHA president said and Zero gave him a sharp side-way look. 

“You don’t  _have_  a daughter” she pointed out, knowing that for once the blonde couldn’t perform his whole dramatic act. Not when he was there to represent the vampire hunters’ association. Well, she was there for the same reason. After the Rido spectacle, the hunters had all agreed that they needed someone to lead them and had unanimously picked Kaien, who could not refuse them considering it was a way for him to rebuild the VHA in a way that would make peace between the two races a possibility. The association changed depending on who led them. If they received the correct guidance, maybe his wish for peace would not be such a pipe-dream. Zero, well, she had been elected as future president because after she had killed Rido, it was obviously that she was the strongest hunter in the VHA. The only reason why she wasn’t the president yet was because she lacked the experience to lead such a large, important organization. 

Another reason why they had been given these ranks was because Kaien, while no doubt one of the strongest hunters in the association, had a closer connection to vampires than any other hunter and the support of the pureblood who had taken over the seat of the council of ancients all on his own. Zero was undoubtedly the strongest huntress in the VHA, so having her in a place where she would need to watch every step she took, was an advantage for vampires, while hunters had no doubt about her skills and the fact that she had the best interest of humans at heart. She had the skills of a hunter but the heart of a protector, something that would complement Kaien’s view and bring about a good change. Yet, being in those high positions meant that they could not refuse a formal invitation of the pureblood prince who requested their presence at his sister’s introduction party. The higher the ranks, the more politics were involved, alas why not showing up had not been an option. 

And now Zero was left to watch how the vampires gushed over their new pureblood princess. 

By the looks of it, Yuuki didn’t mind the attention she received. She looked radiant in a rose-pink gown with a lace bodice with off the shoulder sleeves that transitioned into a train that remained separated from the silk floor-length skirt. She was forced to lift the front of her dress each time she decided to walk in order to avoid tripping over the hem, the fabric trailing over the floor in the back while revealing the low pink heels she wore underneath. The T-strap, open-toe shoes showed that even her toenails had been kept in mind, painted in the same soft color as her fingernails. A Swarovski necklace fitted in with the pink theme, the dark hanging chains being the only contrasting thing in her entire attire while the flowers matched with the lace. 

It was too pink for Zero’s taste. 

Then again, everything about this was too extravagant for her. She had to be forced into a dress by Kaien right before they had left because she had fully intended to show up in her school uniform. The heels were not a problem. Flats or six-inch platform heels made no difference to her, so she had pulled on the black suede peep-toe lace up boots without complaint, regardless of the thin heels that were a little higher than four inches and the top that ended above her ankles. The dress on the other hand, was a different matter. The black color was more than okay with her, but the fabric was tight, fitting around her body like a second skin. Her arms were left bare all the way up to her shoulders, her collar closing high around her neck while the black fabric stopped above her knees, leaving only black lace to fan out around her legs to form a high to low mermaid skirt that stopped above the middle of her shin at the front and at her ankles in the back.  

Movability was not the problem, but how the hell was she supposed to hide rose like this? 

Without her anti-vampire weapon at a vampire party? She might as well be naked. 

“And now you’re looking like you’re going to murder someone” Kaien spoke up and Zero exhale through her nose as she closed her eyes, trying to straighten out the furrow between her brows. 

“Regrettably, since I left rose home, if I’m going to murder someone, I’ll have to do it with my bare hands” she said and the older hunter gave a light, troubled laugh. 

“Come on, Zero. When you say it, I begin to doubt that it’s a joke” he said and the silverette gave him a sideway glance. 

“When have you ever known me to joke?” she asked and Kaien laughed again, though it trailed off uncomfortably an invisible wind blowing past them as if Aidou was using his powers. 

“Perhaps a little distraction would work?” said blonde suggested to dispel the frosty atmosphere between the two hunters, stepping up in front of the silverette while remaining a respectful distance. The action earned a frown considering the pureblood had gotten used to having him inside her personal space, watching how he moved the hand holding his glass behind his back, his other going across his chest until his hand was positioned above his heart. He was lowering his head, bowing in reverence like an aristocrat to a pureblood, much to Zero’s discomfort. However, he didn’t stop there. 

“May I have the honor of a dance, Kiryuu-sama?” he requested politely and the silverette grimaced at him. 

“Are you serious?” she asked, though the blonde was adamant to remain unresponsive until he was either dismissed or his request was accepted. The Hio princess heaved a sigh that turned into a scoff at the end before she threw back the contents that remained in her glass. 

“Fine” she relented. “But only because I know you’ll keep pestering me until I do and I really don’t want to see you do this ever again, got it?” 

“I can’t promise anything” the aristocrat answered with a smirk as he rose to full height, handing his glass over to the president who eagerly held out his hands to assist his two former students. Anything to get Zero to loosen up a little. The silverette rolled with her eyes, laying her hand the crook of Aidou’s elbow as he extended it for her to take the gesture, allowing him to escort her to the dancefloor. 

“Honestly, I’m only doing this once and because it’s you. I’m not here as a guest, but as a guard” she said and the blonde hummed in response. 

“I know. This is just me trying to stop you from murdering anyone. The relationship between hunters and vampires is already fragile at this moment and it won’t help if you go on a killing spree here for whatever reason” he said and Zero rolled with her eyes. 

“I won’t do that” she said, turning towards him as he stopped at the edge of the dance-floor, sliding her hand into his extended one while his free hand found its place on the middle of her back, hers moving up to his bicep while she shifted onto the balls of her feet. 

“It’s not counted as a killing spree when you only kill one or two of them” she said and Aidou gave her a dry look before he started moving, taking a step back to make sure she was following his lead before moving forward, forcing her to step back into the first motions of the waltz. Following his lead for the rest of the dance was a struggle, not because he was a bad dancer, but because Zero was shit at following what someone else wanted her to do. She was used to being in control and unless the person was more dominant than her, she would unconsciously take control. Surprisingly, Aidou didn’t seem to mind it, finding it more amusing than annoying. The pureblood had expected him to get irritated about it, but instead, he was trying to hold in his laughter as they walked back to where Kaien was standing. 

“What?” she asked him rather harshly, causing a sliver of his laugh to escape him as he turned away from him. 

“No, it’s nothing. It’s just… since when is dancing a form of fighting?” he asked her as he gave her a sideway look. Zero didn’t think it was funny, mostly because it was the truth. 

“Dancing, fighting. It’s pretty much the same” she responded unperturbed, her expression not changing. Aidou had not expected any other answer and didn’t continue about it, distracted by Takuma who walked up to them with a smile on his face but quick steps that indicated a polite escape from something. 

“Boy, am I glad you two are so close by” he said, confirming Zero’s suspicions about his tactical retreat. 

“You needed an excuse to get away?” Aidou guessed and his fellow blonde sighed softly as his eyes seemed to droop a little. 

“You have no idea” he said, glancing back in the direction he had come from. 

“Some people can’t take a hint. Haruken-san keeps introducing his daughter to me every time he catches a whiff of me” he said and Aidou looked past him at the young female vampire standing next to the mentioned Haruken. 

“What’s so bad about that? She seems like a seven. Maybe even an eight if she’d worn another dress” he pointed out, his comment causing the green-eyed aristocrat to shoot a glance at the silverette next to the ice-user, afraid she might take offence if she heard Aidou speak about women in that way. However, Zero was already used to it and wordlessly agreed with the blue-eyed vampire. 

“Maybe, but for the life of me, I can never remember her name” Takuma said before shaking his head softly. 

“It’s not even funny how long it is. It reminds me of that story. What was it again? Jugemu-jugemu Gokonosurikire Kaijarisuigryo-no Suigyomatsu, and then I can’t remember it” he said, frowning at his own lack of knowledge, picking his brain for the continuation of the name. 

“Jugemu-jugemu Gokonosurikire Kaijarisuigryo-no Suigyomatsu Unraimatsu Furaimatsu Kunerutokoroni-sumutokoro Yaburakojino-burakoji Paipopaipo-paiponoshuringan Shuringanno-gurindai Gurindaino-ponpokopino-ponpokonano Chokyumeino-chosuke” Zero supplied, earning two surprised looks, both blondes blinking at her without finding a word to say in response to the easy way the silverette had rattled off the entire name without a problem. 

“You know rakugo?” Takuma asked as his expression brightened up, finding his voice first. 

“Pretty much. My father liked it, so he dragged us to a show at least once a month. Jugemu-jugemu was his favorite one because he would always imagine himself in a fight, introducing himself with that name. He wondered if his opponent would actually try to recite the entire thing” she said, once more startling the two blondes. 

“Your father?” Takuma asked and Aidou grimaced lightly. 

“Since when are hunters idiotic like that?” he asked bluntly that which his fellow blonde only dared to think, not wanting to set the silverette off, knowing that her family was an extremely touchy subject. The pureblood leveled the ice-user with a dry look. 

“Have you met Cross? Compared to him, my father was as sane as could be” she reminded them and they both looked over to their former chairman, no doubt recalling a situation where the man had made a fool of himself with another one of his ridiculous acts. 

“Compared to him, everyone is sane” the blue-eyed vampire said and Kaien perked up with an inquiring hum when they finally entered his hearing range. Neither of the vampires answered his unspoken question as Takuma turned to Zero instead. 

“What are your favorite stories?” he asked, curious about the silverette’s knowledge on rakugo. 

“I don’t really have a favorite but there are a couple who I like better than others” she said as she turned back to the room, folding her arms underneath her chest when she remembered she did not have pockets in this dress. 

“There’s Shinigami, Miyatogawa, Yumekin, Okechimiyaku, Nozarashi” Zero summed up a couple from the top of her head. 

“Let this grass honor the bones that will fertilize the field. All who meet must some day part” Yuuya recited, speaking up for the first time since their arrival and Takuma looked up at the raven standing behind them. 

“Aish, you picked out the most somber part of that entire story. It’s supposed to be comedy. Co-me-dy” he said, repeating the genre twice to make sure he had made his point before turning back to Zero. 

“But you know a surprising amount of them. I didn’t think it was something you were interested in” he admitted as the young pureblood let her eyes trail around the crowd. 

“I’m not interested in all the stories. I find it hard to relate to the happy go lucky ones, but there are a couple that I enjoy listening to. My father used to recite them for me and my brother whenever he was home” she responded before she scoffed. 

“It was annoying because he’d do it with so much enthusiasm it kept us up instead of putting us to sleep like he intended to do” she added and Kaien chuckled. 

“Yes, that sounds like Ran” he agreed and Zero glanced up at him with a fond glint in her eyes but no smile on her face. However, the lack of it didn’t stop Takuma from inquiring further about the silverette’s knowledge of fallen words. The pureblood found that she wasn’t opposed to talking to the vice-dorm head of the night class, his ever-present smile for once not putting her off like it usually did. She didn’t need to say much to keep the conversation going, the green-eyed vampire capable of doing so all on his own with a few comments from her here and there, yet his enthusiasm was making it sound completely unforced. Aidou struggled to keep up with the conversation, so instead took it upon himself to get a new glass of blood-infused wine in their hands.  

“Ah, I can’t remember the title, but wasn’t there also a story of a courtesan and a samurai committing a lover’s suicide?” Takuma asked, trailing off towards the end of his sentence as his attention was draw to something behind his fellow blonde. 

“It’s a bookseller” Zero corrected even when she followed his line of gaze to see someone approach them. It was hard to mistake where he was going or who he was walking up to when his gaze was locked onto the silverette, hazel eyes framed by wavy blonde locks, a few wayward strands brushing his cheeks while the rest was tied up below one of his ears, falling over his shoulder and reaching past his collarbone. He was one of the most extravagantly dressed men in the room, wearing a deep red suit with gold accents and a white cravat that matched the gloves that covered his hands. There was a pleasant smile on his deceptively young face, disarming his oppressive pureblood aura that had Aidou and Takuma take a polite step back when he was close enough, lowering their heads in greeting. 

“I apologize for my late welcome, President Cross. I’m afraid I was a bit held up” the blonde vampire said as he turned to Kaien next to Zero, who narrowed her eyes at the man’s smooth words. She had been sure he had been looking at her and not the former hunter who was currently shaking his hand firmly. 

“Not a problem at all. I’m glad you were able to make a little time for little old me” Kaien answered pleasantly with a smile on his face that matched the pureblood’s. When their hands separated, the hazel-eyed vampire turned his attention to the Hio princess next to the former chairman. 

“And you must be Kiryuu Zero, his successor” he guessed as he held out his hand towards her in a gesture Zero knew all too well. The last thing she expected a high and mighty pureblood to do was bend forward towards the hand he had twisted upwards, brushing his lips against the back of her hand while keeping his free hand behind his back. The action caused her to stop breathing momentarily, her spine freezing tensely as his gaze locked with hers, allowing her to all but tear her hand from his grasp. 

“I apologize for the late introduction. I’m Ougi Karube, the current head of the Ougi family. It is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance, milady” he told her as he straightened up again, lowering his hand at his side even when he held her gaze with a polite smile that showed he had taken no offence to Zero’s reaction that was more than a little rude in vampire society.  

“I would have asked president Cross, but for obvious reason I will extend this invitation to you. Could I request a dance from you, milady?” he asked with a tilt of his head. Zero’s response was on the tip of her tongue but before she could say anything, Kaien nudged her in the ribs again, getting her attention. She glanced up at him, meeting his surprisingly serious look. He jerked his chin at the older pureblood, not in a suggestion but in an order. This too, counted as politics. By mentioning Kaien first, the Ougi vampire made it obvious that he extended the invitation to the future president of the association and not Zero as a person. It was a sign of goodwill between two prominent figures of the two sides. If she refused the request of a pureblood, it would cause a scene they couldn’t afford. Not with the fragile peace treaty the two races had. Insulting a pureblood by refusing a dance would crumble what was still in the midst of being rebuild. She had no choice. 

“Of course” Zero said, her expression smoothing out from a scowl into a blank mask as she turned around to hand her glass to Yuuya before turning to the pureblood again, accepting his extended arm. She kept her eyes in front of her, focusing on the distance to ignore the attention they were drawing towards them as they made their way to the dancefloor. Even more so than when she and Aidou had danced, guests were looking at them, whispering behind their hands as the silverette turned towards the blonde man, feeling his hand settle on her shoulder below her arm, his other raising the hand clasped in his into the air. The young pureblood shifted the weight to the front of her feet, arching her back until she was bending away from the blonde, keeping her profile facing him as he set in the dance. 

“You’re quite the proficient dancer, Kiryuu-san” Ougi complimented her. “I’m surprised you’ve picked up on the choreography so quickly.” 

“If you talk to me, I might trip us up” she said, giving the man an excuse to get him to stop talking to her. Just because he gave her no other choice but to dance with him, didn’t mean she had to be glad about it. It didn’t mean she had to socialize with him. Her emotionless response seemed to amuse him instead of putting him off like she had intended to do, hearing him chuckle softly. 

“That is quite alright. You’re as light as a feather and I have faith in my strength to be able to keep us both upright in case you trip. There is no need to fear, milady. Allow me to lead you” he assured her before widening his steps, forcing the silverette to do the same. Would she be able to write it off as an accident if she purposely stepped on his toe? Perhaps hard enough to drive her heel through the flesh in between his bones? Surely, the smell of a pureblood’s blood would be enough of a distraction for her to slip away from the eyes of the entire room that were directed at them for some reason. Even the two Kurans and the group of aristocrats that had been kissing their ass were looking over at the odd combination of pureblood and huntress. Zero’s eyes connected with Kaname’s for a split second, though long enough for her to recognize the displeasure on his face. Clearly, he did not like all those men drooling over his precious little sister. But to be honest, the Hio princess preferred them to be all over Yuuki instead of staring at her. 

The relief she felt when the dance was finally over, was unmatched. 

“I look forward to our next meeting, lady Kiryuu” Ougi said when he brought her back to Kaien’s side, excusing himself with another kiss to the back of her hand that she nearly decked him for. She not so subtly wiped her hand on the back of her dress behind the older vampire’s retreating back, her scowl returning with a vengeance. 

“What’s wrong, Zero-chan? Not your type?” Kaien asked, sounding more than a little amused as he looked at the silverette, causing her frown to deepen. 

“To damned flashy” she all but spat out as she accepted her wine back from Yuuya, immediately moving to glass to her lips as Kaien pouted. 

“What?! But he was really good-mannered and polite! Like a prince!” he said and the pureblood actually gagged at that, not wanting to listen to the rant she knew would follow. He might not act ridiculously dramatic like he usually did, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t spouting bullshit. Next, he was going to say that the vampire had actually been sparkling, or verbally imagining a fairytale with them as leads. There was no way in hell she was staying around to hear what he could come up with, quickly leaving him behind as her hearing still caught how he claimed them to look good together. Her stomach twisted at the mere idea of it. Yuuya recognized a tactical retreat when he saw one and followed after his mistress this time, remaining a formal step behind her as she made her way across the room towards where Yuuki stood. She didn’t bother apologizing as she forced herself into the circle that had formed around the Kuran princess, touching her lace-covered wrist to get the smaller woman’s attention. 

“Zero!” Yuuki said excited as she looked up at her fellow perfect, a smile brightening up her face as they both ignored the frowns directed at them. Well, at Zero only. Nobody would dare to frown at the princess with her big brother around. Not if they wanted to live. 

“Hey, if you find some time, check up on Cross. He’s looking a little cold over there. Perhaps a dance will warm him up” the silverette said, drawing the younger vampire’s attention towards where Kaien stood, his arms folded across his chest. 

“Oh, you’re right. Perhaps I should” Yuuki agreed before turning her attention to her adoptive sister again. 

“What are you going to do?” she asked before the silverette could move away from her. 

“I’m going outside. Do some rounds” she responded, not waiting for an answer in case the brunette would try to stop her. She made her way outside to the balcony, not paying any attention to the handful of guests that had stepped out of the room for some fresh air as she placed her hand on the balustrade, launching herself over it smoothly. Yuuya followed her without hesitation, landing on the soft forest floor behind her. The silverette didn’t need to look back to know he trailed after her as she disappeared into the forest, taking the same route she had taken when she had done a perimeter check before the party had started. There were a couple hunters stationed around area to stop uninvited vampires from disturbing the party and she set course to one of them for an update. Also to make sure they were still awake. Zero had stood guard on a perimeter before and she knew what a tedious job it could be, almost to the point of being mind-numbing. The only reason she had been able to remain awake during her guard jobs was because she had always been pumped up on adrenaline. The same didn’t go for more experienced vampire hunters, who were used to a lot more action. 

“It’s just you, Kiryuu-san” Asano said as the silverette stepped out of the forest and into the clearing in front of the fence that surrounded the building. The older hunter was standing on the other side of the fence, leaning against one of the stone pillars that fortified the wrought iron barrier. 

“It got too stuffy in there” Zero admitted as she stopped at the fence, hearing the older man scoff in amusement. 

“You rather than me” he told her and an elegant silver eyebrow shot up in wordless agreement. 

“How’s the situation out here?” she asked and the older hunter sighed tiredly as he looked up at the dark sky overhead. 

“Boring. Nothing happened, which is supposed to be good” he said before a smirk pulled on his lips, deforming the scar running through the corner of his mouth. 

“But I wouldn’t mind it if something happened” he said, proving that the influence of the former president was still very much present in the hunters’ mindsets. Hunting had almost become like a game to them, instead of something they needed to do to protect humans. 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t. A tiny bit of excitement is fine, welcome even, but we wouldn’t want a snowball effect” she said and Asano sighed deeply. 

“I know. Boring is better, but excitement is welcome” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. Zero unfolded her arms from in front of her chest, letting one arm fall limp at her side while taking a hold of one of the black bars with the other. 

“If it’s any comfort, it’s better than in there. You practically need a kano to move about with the way they’re all drooling over their new princess” she said, feeling the older man’s grey gaze on her face as it retracted in mild disgust. 

“You’d think they are having a contest to see how far they can get up Kuran’s ass with all the ass-kissing they’re doing” she said, causing the hunter to bark a laugh. 

“Ah, fresh air, wide open space, no vampires. I think I’m finally appreciating my job tonight” he said and Zero gave a short hum. 

“If you want to swap, just say the word” she told him but rejection was quicker than her own suggestion. 

“No, thanks. I’m perfectly fine here” he said and the silverette turned around, leaving him in solitude once more as she continued her walk around the perimeter. There were two youngsters on guard duty, the youngest the same age as her and the oldest one year older, yet the way they held themselves made them seem much younger than her. They were a little more respectful of her compared to the older hunters, who knew more about her status as vampire and her connection with Kuran Yuuki, but Zero hoped they loosened up quickly. It was already bad enough that Yuuya treated her like royalty, the last thing she needed was the younger generation of hunters worshipping the ground she walked on. 

“What’s wrong, Yuuya? You look like you want to say something” she noticed, though it was a bit of an understatement considering the raven was scowling instead of looking thoughtful. 

“They were staring at you, Hime-sama” the taller vampire said, clearly displeased as he narrowed his eyes at the trees in front of them. 

“Yes, so?” Zero asked and the young man turned his attention to her. 

“They were staring at your…” he said, letting his gaze fall down short but pointedly in a way that made him flush. The silverette frowned at him, not getting what he was trying to say though quickly distracted by the sound of rustling that was so soft, it might as well have been her imagination. 

“Shhh” she said, coming to a stop as she turned her attention in the direction of the sound, preferring to be safe than sorry. Yuuya’s brows furrowed together, his attention remaining on her as she tried to pin-point where the sound was coming from. She tilted her head, her gaze flittering from left to right. 

“It’s… Yuuya, run back to the party and inform Cross. Tell him we’ve got a group of Es on our hands. Approximately 8 to 10 of them” she said and the raven’s eyes widened. 

“But, Hime-sama” he started, ready to argue that he was not going to leave her behind without a weapon if that was the case, but Zero didn’t feel like entering a discussion at this point. 

“Our job is to keep this party safe and the president needs to be informed of potential danger so he can take countermeasures. By the time he’s finished, I’ll have taken care of them, but he still needs to be aware of them” she told him, keeping her attention on the rustling of footsteps that grew louder and louder the closer they got. 

“Yuuya, go” she said and the raven didn’t resist anymore, lowering his torso in a bow before pushing off in a run towards the building they had been returning to. Zero remained where she was, able to hear several footsteps approach her from both sides, spreading out to surround her. She made no move to stop them from doing so, knowing that when fighting against a group, it was much easier for her to defeat them by limiting their movements by drawing them into close quarters. She would have them all within reach while they would need to watch what they did, lest they injured one of their own. However, it remained to be seen if they were still sane enough to remember which side they were on. And even if they forgot and turned on each other, it would only be an advantage to her. 

Zero expected an attack as soon as the Es were within reach, which was why she was rightfully surprised when they stopped when they saw her, forming a predictable circle around her. The pureblood let her eyes trail around the group, counting three women and seven men, all ten the standard haggard appearance that all former humans had at the end. Elongated fingers with claws, grey skin, blood-thirsty gazes, lengthened fangs and barely to no rationality. Yet there was something about these vampires that unsettled the silverette. Something that put her on edge. Why were they not attacking? Had they not fallen yet? No, they had. There was no doubt about that, she could clearly feel that all of them were level E. So, then why were they not attacking? Not to sound weird, but she knew she smelled appealing to them, not to mention that they had come straight to her instead of splitting off to track down Yuuya as well. And then she wasn’t even talking about the party with at least three purebloods and almost the complete aristocrat population. Had they gotten orders? 

Her eyes scanned the vampires’ necks, searching for a taming tattoo, but finding none. At least not in their necks. But long to think about she didn’t have, for she was forced to pull her head to the side when something glinted in the pale moonlight, catching her attention. Her eyes widened at the dagger that passed by her cheek as she looked at the woman who had moved first, stepping out of the circle on her right side. From up close, the silverette could see her eyes clearly, as if the pupil had swallowed up iris and sclera, leaving nothing but a black bead. As her hand closed around the vampire’s fore-arm, her eyes widened when she felt something dig into her palm. 

“Impossible” she breathed even when the used the woman’s momentum against her to trip her up and toss her into the man that was attacking from the left side. Her gaze immediately sought out what she had believed to feel, confirming her suspicions when she caught sight of the badly tucked away dagger sticking out from the vampire’s belt. Even if was badly hidden, Zero recognized the style almost immediately, spotting the other daggers easily now that she knew what she was looking for. It was wryly amusing how the strange black eyes lost their importance in the face of the disturbing realization that someone had attempted to mimic the fighting arts of her family, something that was supposed to be secret. Not to mention badly at that, leaving the wielders untrained and weapons in what was considered plain sight to a master like her. 

It pissed her off even more than Kaname did. 

Grey skin was brittle like a single-layer tissue as she lifted her leg, driving the thin heel of her boot into an E’s chin when he tried to attack her from the front without a strategy, the blunt tip breaking through the flesh without resistance. Blood poured from the vampire’s mouth and the puncture wound on the bottom of his chin, running down the silverette’s leg as she jumped up, placing her other foot on the vamp’s chest to kick him away, separating his jaw from his head as she flipped backwards. She landed in a crouch, using the jaw and tongue stuck on her heel as projectile to launch it into an advancing vampire’s face with a kick. In the woman’s distraction, she dashed forward, closing the distance in what seemed like a single step. Slipping her hand past the vampire’s guard, she curled her fingers around the woman’s nape, pulling her face down into her rising knee with a resounding snap, signalling a broken nose. 

Rough breathing alerted her about an attack on her right, making her jump over the woman’s shoulder, using the grip she still had on the E’s nape to pin her to her back like a shield, allowing the dagger to sink into the woman’s chest instead of hers. Not allowing the man to pull his weapon back, she flipped the woman over her shoulder, making sure to step heavily onto her back to drive the dagger as deep into her body as it could go as she leaped back. She continued to do so while she eyed the eight remaining Es that followed her, locating as much of their weapons as she could. It was one of the issues with hidden weapon users. You never truly knew how much they were packing. But considering how badly trained they were, she was pretty confident that she had them located. Regrettably, she had been closer to the building as she had thought, causing her to break through the forest into the small clearing that separated the mansion from the forest that surrounded it. 

“Zero?!” she heard Aidou call out in surprise, drawing her attention. 

“Don’t interfere!” she yelled back, watching the Es surround her as several aristocrats gasped in disgust at seeing such low-level vampires this close to them. The commotion drew the attention of the guests inside, causing them to pour out onto the balcony to watch how Zero proved her earlier words to Aidou to be true. She danced in between their attacks like she was a leaf being toyed with by the wind, dodging daggers left and right without losing more than a strand of her hair. She took note of the daggers that were pulled next, resembling kunai with a ring at the end of the hilt. The thrown weapons at her feet forced her to jump up into the air, arching her spine until she was looking down on the daggers flying towards her and in every other direction, hitting the high trees and the two-story balcony. 

Turning over her head until she was practically hanging upside down in the air, he touched the tip of the closest kunai, pushing it down and directing it back towards the multitude of objectives, plucking three of them out of the same group. She flung them towards some of the throwing weapons, giving them a different direction before she started her descent to the ground again. In a crouch and on one foot, she landed on the dagger sticking straight in the ground, in between the circle formed by the level E vampires, surrounded by the throwing weapons that were also stuck in various places like the mansion wall, the balcony and the front-line trees of the surrounding forest. Calmly, Zero straightened up on top of the kunai, not a single hair out of place while the E’s look thoroughly breathless.  

“Caught you” one of the weird E croaked and the silverette eyed him lazily as she balanced easily on one foot, her arms relaxed next to her body.  

“It’s the other way. I wouldn’t make a careless move if I were you” she warned but the E had already lifted his hand with a kunai and seemingly swiped it through the air. Zero’s expression didn’t change as she heard the snapping of invisible wires around her. The surprise was obvious in the E’s faces as the wires didn’t catch the pureblood, but themselves, stringing them up off the ground with a harsh pull. The wires snapped tightly around their limbs, cutting into the skin ever so slightly as they were stuck in uncomfortable positions like marionettes.  

“I warned you” Zero said as she looked at the E in front of her, pushing off from the kunai to float over to land in front of him as he struggled against the wires drawing his blood.  

“But since you’ve caught yourself, you might as well answer some of my questions. Starting with who trained you, who send you and why you were so intent on capturing me” she said as she studied him, looking at his eyes and skin for signs of what could have caused them to be different from the other E’s. What allowed them to be controlled. Since it was not a taming mark, she doubted it was anything hunter related, which only left something vampiric of nature. But was it an aristocrat with a gift for hypnosis, or a pureblood who held natural command over any former human? Even more so when they were turned by the pureblood in question. However, before she could have her question answered, the human turned vampire was reduced to dust, leaving no more than slack wires, made visible thanks to the blood that stained them. She didn’t even to look to know that the other E’s had met the same fate. 

“Well, that didn’t look like a scene straight from a horror movie. Why is there blood on one of your heels?” Aidou commented dryly, adding a question as he walked towards the pureblood who looked away from the heap of dust that was carried away by the wind, as if nobody had existed in the first place. 

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to” Zero warned, not even needing to imply anything for the blonde to grimace and pretend like he never asked anything in the first place. 

“What happened?” Kaien asked as he walked up to her behind the aristocrat, looking worried as he dodged the wires. 

“As you could see, we were attacked” she said before looking up at the president. 

“They didn’t come from outside. Our hunters would have noticed them” she told him in a hushed tone, trying to keep the information silent from the vampires that were still standing on the balcony. Kaien didn’t ask if she was sure or not, clicking with his tongue as he looked at one of the heaps of ash. 

“So you’re saying someone snuck eight level E’s inside the mansion and waited for an opportunity to attack?” Aidou asked, standing next to them as Yuuya remained silent, taking his place behind his mistress. Zero couldn’t blame the aristocrat for his surprised tone, knowing that he was just as aware of the situation as all the top brass. Zero, Kaien and Kaname had all taken on heavy rolls, struggling to do everything within their powers to prevent a war from breaking out, barely having stopped one from starting when Rido had attacked the academy. And now, some asshole was spitting on their efforts. 

In a way that insulted Zero personally. 

“They used hidden weapons” she spat, causing the former hunter’s eyes to widen in shock. 

“Impossible” he said and the pureblood clenched her fists, looking at the ring daggers the wires around them were attached to. 

“That was my reaction exactly” she mumbled, ignoring Aidou’s confusion. 

“You are the only one who is able to use the art, who is trained in it. You’re the last one of that clan, even the minor families were wiped out in the war because they were too dangerous” Kaien reminded her, as if it was something she needed to be reminded of. 

“I know, but as you’ve seen, they were using it. Badly hidden and untrained at that. I don’t know what pissed me off more. The fact that they used it, or the fact that they were so untrained it’s almost an insult to those who spend their lives perfecting it and surviving because of it” Zero said before turning away from the scene to flee it without a word, afraid she might let her aura out if she thought about it too much. The mere idea that someone would degrade the art of hidden weapons like this angering her to the core of her being. If vampires had graves, she knew her ancestors would have been rolling in theirs at the blatant disrespect of their way of life. 


	8. Unanswered question.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of birthday parties, apples and talks.  
> Why are chapter titles so hard?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

You burry one problem only for the next one to sprout from the very same soil. It was a never-ending cycle Kaname was growing tired of. After he had cleaned up Rido and the corrupt council of ancients, the entire vampire race had demanded him to take over their role, returning their society to an unofficial monarchy once more and making him their king in all but name. While he had no real intention to rule the entire vampire race on his own, he was still selecting those he wanted in his council. Those he was sure had a kind heart that cared more about others than they did about themselves and their own power. It was a hard quality to find in vampires, which was why it was taking so long for him to decide on a new council. Because he had only one new member, still not officially appointed, everything fell on his shoulders and his alone. Aidou Nagamichi did his best to support him where he could, but Kaname was fully aware that the man was pro-monarchy and would prefer it if the pureblood took up the crown instead of the head chair of a council. 

Well, no matter what believes he had, if Kaname requested him to do something, he would do it, regardless which position the pureblood had. The brunet had no doubt about that. The Aidou family were the Kuran family’s most loyal followers and had been for centuries. Regardless of the doubts he had, Nagamichi would follow orders as long as they came from Kaname. Meaning that he wasn’t entire on his own to figure out who had let Es inside the mansion where they had celebrated his fiancée’s introduction to their world. Zero had given him hardly any information to work with, but it had been everything she had been able to tell him about the attack, which meant that they were only a pebble away from rock-bottom in their investigation. 

Speaking of the huntress. 

“Yuuya, what are you doing?” her blank voice resounded, drawing the pureblood king out of his thoughts and bringing his attention to the fact he had unconsciously followed her presences when he had arrived at the academy. He wasn’t quite sure why but chalked it up to the fact that she was closer by than Yuuki and that he had told himself he would start to look out for her a little more. To make up for what he had put her through, to make sure she was alright after losing her brother. The last thing he expected was to see the silverette backed up against a tree, the previously mentioned raven towering over her, caging her in with a hand on the tree on each side of her head. Despite the potentially threatening position, the huntress was showing no intention of breaking free or even struggling against the way she had been cornered, instead looking up at the raven with a look that was as blank as her voice had been. 

They were too close. 

“I apologize for my insolence, Hime-sama. You may punish me for it later” Yuuya told the silverette, his words causing Kaname to frown just as much as their position did. ‘Hime-sama’? It wasn’t the first time he had referred to the huntress in that manner, but the pureblood couldn’t figure out why. Despite his devotion to her, he didn’t seem like he held romantic feelings for her. And while she may look like royalty, her personality was far from.  

“However, I am far more concerned about your condition than I am about my manners” Yuuya spoke up again, drawing the pureblood out of his thoughts as he leaned back against a tree, out of their sight but well within hearing distance. He had suppressed his presence automatically as soon as he had sought out the silverette mindlessly, knowing that if he truly wanted to see how she was doing, he would need to remain hidden lest he provoked her. It allowed him to eavesdrop on the duo without being noticed, which was pretty much a miracle considering how sensitive the huntress’s senses were and how massive his presence was. 

“I’m fine, Yuuya” Zero said, but neither of the men were convinced. Not Kaname hiding behind a tree and not the level C caging her in. 

“You are not fine, Hime-sama, which is understandable considering what happened” Yuuya said almost immediately, not willing to give up just because the silverette was a good actress. 

“However, I am worried. When was the last time you ate? No, let me rephrase that. When was the last time you fed?” the raven asked and Kaname looked sideways in the direction of their voices despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to see them. Zero remained silent, choosing not to respond to his question. 

“You haven’t drank from me since we left the mansion and I know you are not taking the blood tablets” Yuuya revealed and the pureblood’s eyebrows drew together in displeasure. 

“You are starving yourself, Hime-sama, and that worries me far more than stepping out of line” the young vampire stated and the silverette sighed. 

“I can handle it, Yuuya” she said and the raven released a short but sharp breath. 

“Perhaps, but you shouldn’t have to” he said and the rustling off fabric drew the brunet’s gaze past the tree, watching the raven pull on his tie, undoing the red fabric. 

“I’m aware it will never be enough, but if it can lessen even a little of your thirst, that would be more than enough” he said while unbuttoning the top of his black dress-shirt, baring his neck for the silverette whose gaze drew down to the naked skin. Kaname frowned in confusion at the younger vampire’s words, wondering why his blood would not be enough for Zero. Maybe she was thirstier than she let on, which would be dangerous for him if she was unable to control herself. A starved vampire could easily drain another vampire, the lower their level the more danger. While Zero was no longer falling to level E, if she was truly starving like Yuuya said, she could easily drain him. But his tone implied a different reason. No fear for being drained, but sounding sorry. 

“My blood is yours, Hime-sama. You need not to ask or hesitate to take what you want, I will not get angry. Please allow me to take care of you or both grandmother and I will feel like we have failed you” the raven said and the huntress looked at him like he was an idiot, but there was a certain fondness in her gaze, one Kaname hadn’t seen since Ichiru’s funeral. 

“You’re such an idiot, Yuuya” she told him while she raised her hand towards his nape, the other settling on his ribs. Her back remained against the tree as she drew him closer instead, his weight shifting willingly and without a single hint of hesitation. Kaname watched as her eyes bled red before her fangs were bared, sinking into the side of the raven’s neck that he wasn’t able to see. However, he was able to smell blood, the same blood he saw trail down the silverette’s chin. She was feeding from him. Reluctantly, but without much of a struggle and without having to fall to the depths of bloodthirst that made her lose control of herself. The pureblood felt his body heat up, starting from the pit of his stomach where his jealousy originated from, like a beast pacing back and forth with a snarl on its lips. 

He quickly chained it down, not wanting it to get out and betray his position as he pulled back behind the tree he was leaning against. Closing his eyes, he forcefully suppressed his feelings of wanting to dominate her to remind her who she belonged to, pushing his hands into the pockets of his black, ankle-length trench coat as he refrained from stepping in. If Yuuya was right and she had been starving herself, she needed to feed as much as she could, something she wouldn’t do if she knew someone was around. The fact that she drank blood tablets in front of them was already a big deal, but drinking someone’s blood, showing that she knew how to use her fangs, was something she would never do. 

However, Kaname couldn’t help but wish that it was his neck her fangs were embedded in. 

His own thoughts took him off guard, making his eyes widen slightly at the forest floor in front of him. Well, that sure was one that crept up on him when he had least expected it. Mostly because he hadn’t even considered the possibility of her drinking his blood. He had always thought that she would vehemently refuse to go near vampire blood with her fangs, that she would have shot him if he had suggested it. Perhaps she would have, but perhaps now was different. She had seemed to accept her new nature as vampire, compared to when she had been falling to the end. Mayhap, if he suggested it now, with a little forceful persuasion, she might accept the invitation? 

Did he want her to consume his blood? Apparently, yes, he did. But did he want her to do so because of the guilt he felt about what he had done to her, or was it because of his desire to own her? Either way, in both cases, he wanted to take care of her. Which involved making sure she ate enough and was healthy. Or at least not starving. To have someone else feed her irked him, though. 

“Drinking blood from a student is forbidden on school grounds, isn’t it, miss perfect?” Kaname spoke up as he caught sight of a hint of white in the corner of his eye, trailing up her length until he met her lavender gaze, looking at him in the same side-way manner. 

“It is, Kuran. From day class students” she corrected him before looking away from him, continuing on her way with Yuuya trailing after her, his shirt already buttoned up once more and his tie loosely knotted. 

“Besides, if I recall correctly, you drank from Souen once. It scared the shit out of Yuuki” she reminded him as he fell in step next to her, his hands still in the pockets of his trench coat. Kaname choose to ignore her statement, switching the subject. 

“We confirmed that the Es from the party were left-overs from Rido” he said and she turned her head to look up at him. He imagined her being grateful about the fact that he didn’t continue about the blood-drinking subject, because she wasn’t showing anything on her face, her expression remaining cold and hard to read. 

“A spectator identified them during the fight?” she guessed and the pureblood gave a confirming nod. 

“Someone had seen two of them with Ichio and considering that he was unable to change humans and was Rido’s servant” he said, leaving the conclusion unspoken because Zero was anything but dumb. He didn’t need to say it out loud for her to put two and two together. She was perfectly capable of doing that on her own without anyone spelling it out for her. 

“So, after I killed Rido, his servants were picked up by someone else. Someone who launched an attack during the party to capture me” she said and Kaname hummed curtly. 

“They seemed to be trained” he started by was cut off by a sharp scoff. 

“Trained, my ass. They were taught how to hold a dagger and how to throw them, nothing more” she snarled, almost growling, but then her scowl disappeared behind a frozen mask once more, before the brunet could ask anything. 

“Then again, that fact on its own is almost a miracle. Es don’t usually have the rationality to handle weapons” she said and the pureblood king looked at the trees in front of them. 

“Not to mention go after a single hunter when there were three purebloods and almost the entire aristocrat population inside a building a little further. If they truly came from inside the building, they would have encountered the larger group first” he said before glancing at the silverette walking next to him. 

“We need to find out what caused them to be trained as if they were pets” he said and the huntress narrowed her eyes at the forest in front of them while focussing on something only she could see. 

“My best guess is whatever caused their eyes to change. If we can find out what the cause for it was, we can trace it down to its origins, hopefully find the one who picked up the strays” she said and Kaname looked away, giving an agreeing nod as he had been thinking the same thing. 

“We will also need to keep an eye open, in case there were more strays that were picked up” he said, though he doubted it was something he needed to tell her. 

“No need to worry. I will be prepared next time” she said, her tone implying something dark. Last time, she had been barehanded when she had faced them, left without her beloved gun, but it would not happen again. Not that it would make much of a difference, in Kaname’s opinion. He had seen her fight, watched her avoid whatever was thrown her way with ease that had only gotten smoother with each heartbeat that had passed. It had been beautiful to watch, almost like a dance. She had moved in a way he hadn’t witnessed before and he had the feeling that she could do even more. He had no doubt that if she had had her gun, the former humans wouldn’t have lasted two minutes. 

“Finally, you are here, Zero! I thought your rounds would never end!” Aidou exclaimed as he all but jumped up from the sofa in the entrance hall of the moon-dorms, walking up to them with quick steps. 

“Ah, welcome back, Kaname-sama” he greeted the pureblood before turning his attention back to the silverette next to the king, grabbing her wrist. 

“I need your help. Now” he said before dragging her along, not allowing either of the vampires to say something. Not Kaname, who raised an eyebrow at the blonde’s back, and not Zero, who rolled with her eyes. Yuuya said extremely little to begin with, so it was no surprise that he followed after them without a word, separating once he had reached his floor. Kaname was left behind with a load of unvoiced questions bouncing around in his head, resigning to having them remain unanswered as he moved towards his dorm-room, de one he shared with his sister. It was usually forbidden, for a man and a woman to share a room, but because of their engagement, an exception had been made for them. Yuuki had already made herself completely and utterly at home in his room. 

His room, that had always been immaculate and a little impersonal, looked like a tornado had torn through it, making him pause in the entrance. 

“Yuuki?” he called out, refusing to let any hesitance shimmer through in his voice as he closed the door behind him. 

“In here” Yuuki answered, her voice resounding from their bedroom. Kaname looked away from the mess that was his office as he warily turned his attention to where his sister was. It seemed impossible but what greeted him was even worse than his study. The petit pureblood didn’t look up from the bed she was standing in front of as his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, lips descending to her temple in a kiss. Just like his study, his bed was taken over by a mass of clothes, all of them belonging to his beloved. More than half of the articles were pieces unfamiliar to him, meaning she must have either kept them hidden for him for some reason, or have bought them when she had gone out with Ruka to buy her first pair of heels. Though, looking at everything around him, it hadn’t been just one pair, but a whole bunch of them. Not that it mattered much. It wasn’t as if they would be going broke any time soon. If that was what made her happy, Kaname would happily give her all the money he had. 

“What troubles you so?” he asked as he straightened up behind her, keeping his arms wrapped around her waist, holding onto his own wrist in front of her. 

“I don’t have anything to wear” she said, the words causing the pureblood’s eyebrow to rise towards his hairline, looking at what seemed to be a mountain of clothes on top of his bed. Yuuki noticed her mistake and almost visibly resisted the urge to groan as she closed her eyes. 

“I mean, I don’t know what to wear” she corrected herself and Kaname hummed in understanding. 

“Preferably clothes” he said, earning himself a roll of her eyes as she broke free from the lose cage his limbs had former around her. Kaname let his arms fall down at his sides as he watched her dig into the pile of garments. 

“It’s not funny, Kaname” she said sharply, almost sounding hurt as she looked at what must be three tops that were the exact same but in a different colour. The pureblood king had already noticed that his sister referred to him by his first name without honorific only when she was annoyed with him or when she needed something she was afraid of asking. In any other situation, she would call him like she did either as a child, or as a human. It was ‘onii-sama’ or ‘Kaname-sempai’, regardless of how often he tried to convince her to call him by his name. 

“Yuuki” he spoke up, his earlier amusement hidden away carefully as he gently took her wrist in his hand, stopping her from tossing the clothes around. Garnet red eyes focussed on him, a sad look of what could almost be called desperation reflected in the large doe-like orbs. 

“Just chose what you like. You’ll look in anything you wear” he assured her with a calm smile that seemed to put her right at ease, her shoulders lowering slightly as she responded to the smile with one of her own. 

“If you say so, onii-sama, I will have to believe you” she said before directing her attention to the clothes that were thrown around the room, looking guilty as if she had suddenly realized what she had done. Kaname’s smile turned a little fonder at the innocence of his fiancée, the way she seemed to get absorbed in everything she did. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll call someone to clean it up when you’ve picked out what to wear” he told her, moving his hand from her wrist to her cheek, cupping her jaw while letting his thumb brush her rosy cheekbone, drawing her attention to him. 

“Are you sure?” she asked him hesitantly as she looked up at him, her head tilting slightly to lean into his touch in a way that warmed his heart. 

“Yes” he assured her before lowering his hand to his side. “I will take a shower while you riffle through your clothes again.” 

“Ah, onii-sama!” she said, stopping his retreat towards the bathroom by grabbing a hold of his wrist. The older pureblood looked over his shoulder at her, seeing her duck her head. 

“No, Kaname” she corrected herself, his fingers tightening on her limb. The use of his first name in that hesitant, almost shameful tone, had the king turn back towards her, waiting for her to speak the words he knew were on the tip of her tongue. He knew what she wanted, but she would need to voice it. By now, she was old enough to be able to be honest about her thirst without him putting the words in her mouth.  

“Before we go, I would like to… I would like to feed. So I don’t get tempted by humans” she requested as she looked up at him through her lashes, dimly glowing red hidden behind thick brown curtains. He was sure this look would make many men weak in the knees and he wasn’t entire unaffected either. However, he was sure it would have had more of an affect if his mind hadn’t been so distracted from what had transpired before. What he didn’t want Yuuki to figure out. At the moment, she was old enough to read his blood, and the last thing he wanted was to confuse her with feelings that confused him. 

He didn’t want her to know about his carnal desires towards her adoptive sister. He didn’t want her to be aware of the need he felt to possess and dominate  _her._  He didn’t want her to  learn of the boiling jealousy he felt whenever he saw  _her_  with other men  and the violent  ways  the  green-eyed  beast inside him suggested to  sooth his  envy.  He didn’t wa nt her to see the  way he longed to bed  _her_ , without regard of how  savagely he was treating her. He didn’t want her to hear the sweet, poisonous whispers of his subconscious that  spoke to him about all the things he could do to  _her_ . He didn’t want her to  figure out how his lust was seducing his rational mind into the sheets with  _her_  instead of her. He didn’t want her to realize what a twisted and cruel person her beloved brother and fiancé was, dreaming more of sleeping with Zero instead of her. 

He was reluctant to let his sister ingest his blood, his thoughts and his feelings, but he did not want her to starve either. Not to mention that she would either worry or become suspicious if he refused her access to his blood. He didn’t  _want_  to refuse her. He loved his sister, he had no doubt about that and never had. But he had no way of stopping these thoughts either. He had tried to but failed miserably. The only thing that stopped him from feeling too guilty towards Yuuki about it was the fact that she longed for Zero in her own way as well. 

“Of course” the pureblood king said as he reached up for the tie around his neck to undo the knot, unwillingly reminded of the way Yuuya had done the same a little while ago, but for Zero. He stomped down the memories, not wanting them to be on the forefront of his mind when she would be ingesting his blood. He bared his neck for her, seeing her hesitance as her gaze flittered from the ground to his throat in an unspoken request. He sighed softly as he closed his eyes. 

“You will have to learn how to use your fangs, my sweet” he warned her even when he reached up a hand, piercing his skin with his nail to draw blood to the surface and get her started. The reaction was immediately, her tiny hands finding his shoulder and his nape as her lips closed around the wound he had created, barely leaving him any time to withdraw his hand before she started lapping up the blood he had drawn. She didn’t bother using her fangs, instead sucking his blood from the wound and waiting until he had reopened the gash when it had healed. Feeding took a long time, the scent of his blood spreading through the air unnecessarily, more than it would have if she had just bitten down, but he didn’t blame her nor force her. This was the way she was comfortable with feeding, which was still much better than her starving herself. Besides, a shower washed away any hint of blood that might have clung to his skin after she was done feeding, changing into a more leisurely outfit than he had worn towards the council headquarters. 

Wearing a somewhat loose-fitting brown-grey button up with mandarin collar on top of a pair of black slacks, the pureblood made his way down the stairs, his dress shoes replaced by black loafers. His sleeves that were carelessly rolled up to the middle of his forearms added to his attire’s casual feel. He was not the only one who had dressed down, looking at the trio sitting in the couches that filled the grand entrance hall. Aidou was the loudest, clad in an outfit that was unlike anything he usually wore, his bright colours and preppy look replaced by an all-black look that combined a button up that was slightly oversized and tucked into what seemed to be a pair of skinny jeans and chunky black derby shoes. The only colour he wore was found in the white heron pattern on his shirt. 

Across from him was Kain, slouched into a sofa on his own, dressed in a pale blue denim that fitted slim around his legs, topped by a simple grey T-shirt with short sleeves, falling big even on his frame. Compared to the paleness of his clothes, the shoes on his feet were deep red with a white line on both the inside and the outside. A brown jacket was draped over his knee, no doubt to wear when they went outside. However, there was one person who truly drew the pureblood’s attention, the only girl of the trio. Sienna red eyes trailed up from navy blue satin pump clad feet to long legs clad in a pair of white skinny jeans that seemed to be painted onto pale skin. A white tank top was worn on top of it, covered for the most part by a denim jacket with cable knit navy sleeves. At least six oriental hairpins were needed to keep the silver strands together in a bun, bangs still threatening to fall into lavender eyes. 

“Why do you always eat so much fruit?” Aidou asked as he looked at Zero sitting next to him, mentioning the bright green apple she had just bitten down in, watching her hold the back of her hand close to her lips to hide how she was chewing as much as she could. 

“Because it’s healthy?” she suggested before shrugging. “A human habit, I guess.” 

“Ah, right. Humans have a saying about that, don’t they? What was it again?” he asked, frowning thoughtfully. 

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” the strawberry-blonde male answered calmly, lifting one of his feet to rest his ankle on top of his opposite knee. 

“I don’t really get it. I mean, doesn’t it keep everyone away as long as you throw it hard enough?” the blonde asked, prompting a short chortle from the silverette, the sound obviously startling all the vampires who heard it. The sound caused Kaname to pause in his descent of the stairs. 

“What the hell do you think humans do with apples?” she asked the local genius as she looked at him, as if he was the biggest idiot disgracing the earth. Aidou blinked out of his daze before shrugging defensively. 

“Well, considering how violent you are, it’s not really that much of a surprise I would think you use it as a weapon. Everything becomes a weapon in your hands” he said quickly and the silverette looked away from him, her expression smoothing out once more while a fond hint remained in her lavender eyes. 

“I'll take that as a compliment” she said in what was no doubt her equivalent of a sing-song voice, her gaze falling on him and hardening once more, causing the green-eyed beast to rear its ugly head again. He forcefully chained it down once more, lowering his head into a nod that doubled as a greeting as Aidou’s spine tensed. 

“Kaname-sama! How long have you been there?” he asked as Kain looked up almost lazily. 

“Not long. Are you three the only ones ready?” the pureblood asked as he stopped next to the sofa on the men’s side of the building, the one the fire-user was occupying. 

“Yeah. Hanabusa didn’t take as much time to get ready for once, thanks to Kiryuu throwing his clothes in his face before he could start to tear through his entire closet and then complain he still had nothing to wear” he answered, much to Aidou’s mortification. The scene the words sculptured was so familiar to Kaname he made an understanding sound with a nod of his head before sitting down, carefully avoiding the gift Kain moved away to make place for him. They were soon joined by Ruka and Rima, both girls dressed up according to human standards, which was still more casual than the vampire version of it. Both aristocrats were clad in a similar fashion that was rather short in Kaname’s opinion. While Rima wore a black flaring skirt with strappy suspenders on top of a white cropped T-shirt, Ruka was wearing a mint green fit and flare dress with a halter neckline. Even their high heels were in similar styles, both just as high, looking more like sandals with their straps that were wrapped around their feet and secured in a bow around their ankles. Rima’s heels were chunky and black to match her skirt while Ruka had gone for contrast with hot pink and needle-like heels. The dark blonde vampire looked uncomfortable in an outfit much brighter than she would usually wear, but she hid it behind the scowl she was sending at the huntress who ignored her. 

Takuma and Shiki arrived downstairs soon after. The redhead was dressed extremely leisurely, wearing a tan pair of chino’s with a dark brown oversized button up tucked in behind the waistband only at the front, marked by beige vertical stripes no thicker than someone’s little finger. His feet were stuck in loafers that matched the dominant colour of his shirt. Takuma had gone for a washed-out red T-shirt that had faded towards the pink side of the colour spectrum, the hem casually tucked into the black slacks that were bottomed by black oxfords. There was a black peacoat resting in the crook of his elbow, a garment he threw over the armrest of the sofa when he reached the bottom of the staircase. 

“Have we all gathered?” he asked pleasantly as Shiki sat down next to Rima who was seated on Aidou’s other side. 

“Not yet. We are still waiting for Yuuki” Kaname answered before looking at his cousin. 

“But perhaps we can give our presents to the birthday boy” he suggested and the green-eyed blonde immediately latched onto the plan. 

“Mine first!” he said excitedly as he reached for his coat. The gift-wrapped package he retrieved from his pocket and handed over to his roommate ended up being a stack of three CD’s from his favourite band. Kain’s gift was next, revealing to be a leather bracelet Shiki had had his eye on for some time. Ruka had unintentionally coordinated with him by buying a matching leather necklace while Aidou had gone extravagant by gifting him a pair of boots, sticking with the theme of leather his cousins had started. Rima had given him what seemed to be a month’s worth supply of pocky, but they all knew it wouldn’t last a week. To everyone’s surprise, Zero handed over the package that had been on her lap. 

“Figured I couldn’t go wrong with chocolate” she said as Shiki lifted the lid to reveal four perfectly baked and decorated chocolate cupcakes. Next to them was a small square box, filled with a small glass bowl that was open at the bottom with a rectangular piece of paper dangling below it. 

“Oh! It’s one of those furin of yours” Aidou said as a soft melodious tingle resounded from the red-painted glass. 

“Furin?” Shiki asked as he looked up at the blonde and with extension the silverette. 

“It’s a wind chime. You hang it close to your window and whenever there is a breeze, it’ll tingle. Usually, you hang it outside, but you can hang it inside as well. It’s calming” Zero explained and the redhead turned his attention back to the chime he was holding up. 

“Thank you” he said as he carefully lowered the fragile glass decoration piece back into the safety of the carton box before picking out a cupcake. As soon as he had taken his first bite, it was obvious by looking at him that he was glad to have invited the huntress, even if it had been out of formality considering her friendship with Aidou. However, even if it had been out of courtesy, Zero had been considerate enough to bring a gift for him. 

“This is from me and Yuuki” Kaname said as he extended an envelope to his cousin, one that contained a ticket for two to the hot springs for an overnight trip. His sister hadn’t actually contributed anything to the gift, but it mattered little. Yuuki had other things to worry about, still struggling with adjusting to her awakening. It was understandable that she forgot something like a birthday gift when she was busy with other things. Then again, wasn’t Zero busy as well? 

“Sorry I’m late!” the pureblood princess said as she all but jogged down the stairs, looking apologetic as she skipped the last steps, jumping over them. She placed her hands on her knees in an all too human gesture that one would do when they were out of breath, probably a left-over habit from her time as a human. 

“I couldn’t find… oh well, it doesn’t matter” she said as she straightened up, showing off the outfit she had picked out. If Kaname thought Ruka and Rima’s attires were too revealing, his sister had gone even shorter. A high waisted tube skirt brushed the top of her thighs, topped by a burgundy red off the shoulder top with wide sleeves that swayed with the littlest of movement. Burgundy peep-toe pumps were secured onto her feet by an ankle strap, a little bow at the front of the strap but the heels too high to be comfortable for someone who was only learning how to walk on them. The pureblood knew he had told her she would look good in whatever she wore, but he had not expected her to choose something like this. He wanted to tell her to return to their room to change into something a little less revealing but was stopped from doing so by Ruka. 

“Yuuki-sama? Didn’t you give me this dress because you thought it was too short. You said it would be a waste if nobody wore it and asked me to do so” the dark-blonde vampire said, sounding both surprised and a little angry even when she tried to hide the latter. She was very aware of their difference in rank and Kaname’s presence with them, knowing he would come to his sister’s aid if she showed a little too much irritation. The fact that Yuuki had asked her to wear the dress explained why she was wearing something unlike herself despite how uncomfortable it made her, which would also make her anger justified. The Kuran king refrained from saying anything to stop an argument, turning his attention to his fiancée who gave the taller woman an apologetic smile as she tugged on the bang that brushed her right cheek in a self-conscious gesture, the rest of her hair falling down towards her lower back. 

“Yes, I know and I’m sorry! I didn’t expect this skirt to be this short either” Yuuki said, using her free hand to attempt to tug down the hem of her skirt. 

“But if I were to go change now, we wouldn’t be able to leave anymore. You’ve already waited for me for so long” she said and Kaname kept his eyes on his sister. 

“If you two want to go change, we will wait a little longer” he said, turning his attention to Ruka instead. The older girl blinked at him before averting her gaze with a shake of her head. 

“No, Kaname-sama. It is alright like this. Yuuki-sama is right. It is Shiki’s birthday and we’re already leaving later than we were supposed to” she said and the pureblood gave a nod before standing up, prompting the others to do the same. As if drawn there by a magnetic force, his gaze fell on the silverette across from him, his heart nearly skipping a beat at the sight of her. The clothes she usually wore hid her lithe figure while the tank top did the exact opposite, hugging her body tightly and highlighting her curves that were in near perfect proportion with her height. The hem of the garment crawled up to bare a sliver of her lower abdomen, revealing what seemed to be a hint of a tattoo that peeked out from above the waistband of her jeans at her hipbone. Her waist was tiny, giving the illusion that he would be able to measure the circumference by wrapping his hands around it. Her ribcage was small but her bust was full, the scoop neckline providing an ample cleavage that was impossible to ignore. 

Kaname had noticed it before, when she had worn that black lace dress, but the turtleneck had kept it modest for the most part, unlike the basic tank top that accentuated her pale skin. Fortunately, the pureblood had better manners than to stare without any subtility, but it certainly wasn’t helping his lust for her. He hadn’t truly known how right he had been when he had said the silverette was a woman compared to his sister. Zero had the sex appeal of an adult while Yuuki’s biggest charm was her almost child-like cuteness. It was no surprise that it was easier to fantasize about someone with a more adult allure. It felt less… wrong. That didn’t mean he wasn’t attracted to his fiancée, it was just different. More subconscious. He wanted to sleep with Yuuki because he loved her, while he thought of sleeping with Zero because he was attracted to her and he doubted he was the only one. 

In just this moment, he had caught every man in the room look at her from head to toe, even if it was only a glance. 

He was pretty sure Yuuki had done the same. 

“Ne, Zero, did that top shrink?” the princess asked as they made their way out of the dorm building, her words causing Aidou to trip over his own feet. The huntress’s hand shot out to catch his arm, keeping him upright as his ears seemed to glow red in the moon-lit darkness that surrounded them. None of them needed night vision to see how the silverette send a scowl over her shoulder at where Yuuki was walking next to her brother. 

“Could you shut up? By now, surely you have picked out enough clothes for me to know that it always happens” she said, almost snarling at the intrusive comment the Kuran princess had made. No-one could blame the huntress for her response, though Yuuki only laughed, as if she was used to being on the receiving end of the taller girl’s glare. She probably was. 

“Ah, right! I almost forgot that you always have to buy button ups a size larger because you can’t close them otherwise! Didn’t you snap a button in the store before?” she asked, as if she needed confirmation about something she sounded so sure of. 

“Yuuki” Kaname chided, seeing that the huntress was uncomfortable with the subject, and she wasn’t the only one. Yuuki seemed to notice the same thing and her amusement made place for guilt. 

“Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, Zero. I’m just a bit nervous about going to a club for the first time. Will they even let us in when we’re underaged?” she asked and Zero regarded her before turning away again, seemingly okay with Aidou having linked their arms. 

“If you keep looking like that, they won’t. At least try to look a little more mature than a grade schooler” she responded, the jab a silent assurance that she was forgetting about the princess’s thoughtless comment. Zero’s words were proven to be true, when they were let inside the night club without any trouble. Of course, it helped when Shiki and Rima took the lead and Zero and Kain took the tail. The faces of models helped them get past the bouncers while the mature faces at the end prevented the burly man from stopping them. As soon as they were inside, Kaname removed his arm from around Yuuki’s shoulders regardless of the disappointment he saw on her face. For him, the gesture was a little too… what did humans call it? Player-like. It just wasn’t him. It wasn’t something he did. It had just been easier to get his sister past the bouncer that way. 

Vampires they may be, purebloods they may be, but they were in the human world, so human rules were what they must stick to. 

Then again, it was well known that human teenagers loved to break rules. 

‘Rules were made to be broken’ was what they said in such a case, right? 

To celebrate his birthday with his friends, Shiki had rented out the VIP room in the back of the club, meaning that they had to cross the entire space to get there. The area was dark with strobe light flashing around, lighting up the dancefloor in various colours. Humans were dancing in a meat-packed mass in the middle of the room, bathing in sweat and too much perfume. It was hurting his sensitive nose, but no more than the loud music did. He was sure he would be going home with a headache, but he wouldn’t be the only one. Luckily, there was alcohol and a semi-soundproof room, one that was decorated more to his tastes. There were several booths, made from dark-grey couches forming a U around a round table with the option of being closed off by light grey curtains. The lights were brighter in the VIP room, a glass wall separating the club from the private section. The couches could be a little softer though, but that was just him nit-picking. 

“I like this colour. What are these?” Aidou asked as a round tray with several small glasses was placed on the middle of the table by a barman. 

“They are deep ocean shots” the human responded as the night class students reached out for a glass each, placing them on the table in front of them. 

“Shall I bring the next round?” the barman asked, looking away from Ruka towards Shiki who had ordered the first round upon entering, when they had been guided towards the VIP room. 

“Ghostbusters would be nice” the redhead answered and the man left with a nod, returning to the bar to prepare their second order, allowing the vampires their privacy. 

“Well then, to the birthday boy” Takuma said with a wide smile as he lifted his glass, prompting the others to do the same. There were only four of them who took the shot without hesitation, placing the glass at their lips and throwing it back before placing the glass back onto the table, upside down. Kaname, Takuma, Yuuki, Aidou and Ruka copied the other’s actions with only half a second of delay. Shiki, Rima, Kain and Zero looked like they had done this before, throwing back shot after shot while the others pretended to know what they were doing. The novelty of it wore off rather quickly for Kaname, but to the others who were at the club for the first time, they only got more excited because of it. It took five shots before they decided to move to the dance-floor, the reason why they had come to a nightclub for. 

“If I catch any of you feeding from unwilling humans, I’m shooting a hole through your skull” Zero warned the vampires at the table, though her tone was kept lighter than normal. The use of ‘if I catch you’ didn’t go unnoticed by anyone, nor the fact that she wasn’t telling them not to look for possible willing donors, also not stupid enough to ignore the ‘unwilling’ part. It was somewhat amusing in the pureblood’s eyes, that it was precisely Shiki, notoriously the laziest vampire at the academy, who took to the dancefloor first. Of course, Rima went with him and Kain followed swiftly after with Takuma, though the strawberry-haired vampire would no doubt go straight to the bar. He didn’t quite look like the dancing type, unlike Aidou, who needed barely to no urging from Yuuki to join her on the dance-floor, taking Ruka with him and leaving Kaname and Zero behind at the table with all their coats and the girl’s clutches, something the silverette didn’t have. 

“How surprising” Kaname said, reaching out for the bell on the table that would alert one of the bartenders that they wanted to order something. 

“What is?” Zero asked as she slouched in her seat in the middle of the booth, her eyes locked onto the glass wall to watch the dancefloor. Or more specifically, the exits, when he followed her line of gaze. Hunters sure were a paranoid bunch. 

“You practically gave them permission to consume blood as long as you didn’t see it. Is that truly something a hunter should be saying, or was it your vampire side speaking? Have you come to accept it since feeding from Yuuya-kun?” he asked and Zero glared at him, her gaze cold and penetrating. If looks could kill, Kaname was sure he would be slowly bleeding out because there was no way she would allow him to die quickly. No, she would shoot him in places that would cause him more pain than harm. 

“There is a difference between feeding from humans and feeding from Yuuya. Yuuya gave me permission and practically forced me because I was starving myself. I’m sure you caught that part of our conversation” she said before looking away, trying to calm herself with success. 

“Besides, we’re not on school grounds. I’m not a perfect here and I’m sure nobody will be stupid enough to draw blood from the unwilling. Not from your inner circle, not when they risk your anger” she said, lowering her voice until only Kaname could hear her when the bartender stopped at their table. The pureblood couldn’t deny her words, knowing that from his inner circle, only Aidou would be tempted to coax an unwilling human to let him drink from them, but that had changed already, ever since he had gotten closer to the huntress. 

“You rang?” he asked, his attention on Zero and ignoring the pureblood sitting on the corner, the person who had actually rang. 

“A paloma maxi” she said and the bartender gave a nod before finally turning to Kaname. 

“Whiskey dry” the pureblood said almost curtly, not able to ignore the way the human’s eyes had lingered on the silverette and especially not when he winked at her after placing her cocktail down in front of her with a small note underneath the tall glass. Zero didn’t ignore the note, sending it a look underneath her nose as she sipped from the glass, a silence falling over them again, thought it didn’t end up lasting long when Kaname watched her put the note in her pocket. 

“Mind if I ask you a question?” he asked, the tone in his voice implying a serious subject as he swished the amber-coloured liquid around inside the glass between his fingers. The young vampire looked up at him, considering his request carefully before responding. 

“If it will get you to stop bothering me so I can enjoy my drink” she said, giving him permission even when it was reluctant. 

“Were you and Ichiru lovers?” Kaname asked, realizing it was an entirely wrong question to ask as soon as the words had left his lips. However, he couldn’t regret it and he didn’t want to attempt to take back his words. It had been a question at the forefront of his mind ever since he had overheard the conversation between Yuuya and Zero. And as he looked at the emotions flashing through the huntress’s lavender eyes, he knew he wanted to hear the answer. That he  _needed_ to hear the answer. 

“What a kind of stupid shit-question is that?” she asked harshly, turning her attention to her drink in front of her, partially to regain control herself and partially to prevent Kaname from reading the emotion she struggled to hide. 

“How could we have been? We were separated for four years” she said, her voice sounding different in a way Kaname couldn’t name but understood. 

“Then, did you love him?” he asked, changing his question to address the silverette more personally instead of questioning the bond between the twins. Zero lifted the glass up to her lips to take a considerable draught before placing the glass back down with a loud thud. She pulled up the knitted sleeves of her denim jacket to reveal the white cords wrapped like a bracer around both her wrists, taking her time to adjust them a little in order to stall time. She was reluctant to answer, amazingly so, but Kaname was patient. 

“It’s complicated” she finally responded, still greatly reluctant but talking. The progenitor wanted to keep the conversation going, to encourage her to talk more, to answer his questions without threatening to shoot him. If he hadn’t known better, he would have blamed her loose tongue on the alcohol. However, he did know better and he realized there was something different about her at the moment. Something he was going to exploit as much as he could. 

“How so?” he inquired and the huntress’s grip on her glass tightened a fraction. It wasn’t hard enough to break, but firm enough to ground herself. Or at least make an attempt to as she looked up at the older vampire once more, reclining in her seat as she forced herself to let go of the glass before it burst apart in her hand. 

“Let me ask you the same thing” she spoke up, deciding to turn the spot-light on him. “Do you love Yuuki?” 

“Naturally” Kaname replied effortlessly, not even needing to think about the answer he gave as soon as the question had left her lips. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved his sister. It was the one thing in his life that he was certain of. 

“Of course you do” Zero agreed, not even doubting his answer as she turned her attention back to her drink, her eyebrows drawing together and her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. 

“Then let me ask you another question. How do you love her first?” she asked, for once, confusing the pureblood, glancing up at him. 

“Like a brother loves his sister? Or like a lover?” she clarified before he could ask what she meant. Kaname thought he would be able to answer her question as quickly as he had done with the former, but could not find the words to do so. At first, the answer seemed obvious. He loved her, both as a sister and as a lover. But the more he thought about it, the more he started doubting his answer. As what did he see her first? As his sister, or as his fiancée? Did he lust for Zero as much as he did because he loved Yuuki as a sister before he loved her as his would-be wife? Was his subconscious telling him something he chose to ignore or was just plain ignorant about because of all the time he has spend wishing and waiting for her to become his fiancée? Did that mean he loved Yuuki less as his fiancée and more as his sibling? Or would he just need more time to see her as a woman instead of as a sister? 

“You can’t answer it, right?” Zero asked, cutting through his inner monologue after she had given him a little time to contemplate the questions her inquiry had provoked. Kaname looked up at her to see her looking at him with a wryly amused glint in her lavender eyes that did not reach the nerves that controlled her expression. 

“I see your point” the ancestor said, mimicking her wry amusement as he lifted his glass to his lips, taking a sip of his whiskey as they returned to silence, each left to their own thoughts. However, it wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything, it was friendlier than they had ever been before, even more so than when they had been drinking the entire night after defeating Rido. Well, after Zero had defeated Rido and he had cleaned up the council. They had a tiny conversation about something personal, all without her threatening him or him trying to find anything he could use against her in order to manipulate her. If someone had told him this was possible, say half a year ago, he would have laughed in their faced and called them soft in the head. The mere idea of him having a conversation with Zero without having an ulterior motive or without pissing her off to the point she actually took a shoot at him, was unimaginable. In fact, back then, he would even go as far as to call it an impossible miracle.  

But now, after everything that had changed and after he found his own feelings shifting, he was pleased that the impossible had happened. 

And for now, he was taking enough with small victories. 

“Onii-sama!” Yuuki’s voice reached him along with a blast of music as she pushed open the door to the VIP room, Aidou right on her heels. The two vampires in the room looked up them, Kaname smiling at his sister when she all but jumped on the sofa next to him, sitting on her knees as she looked up at him with an excited glint in her dark eyes. 

“I am missing you on the dancefloor, onii-sama!” Yuuki said while Aidou slipped into the booth next to the silverette, using a little too much enthusiasm. Zero barely budged as the blonde knocked into her side before he caught himself again. 

“Will you join me? For one dance?” the princess asked and Kaname turned his gaze to her again, ignoring where Aidou was asking Zero the exact same thing, but using different words. 

“Please?” his little fiancée said as she tilted her head, her eyes widening in what he had come to know as her puppy look. The brunette smile at her, daring himself a bold move as he raised a hand to cup her cheek, leaning his head down to connect their lips in a short peck. 

“How can I say no when you ask me so kindly?” he asked as she pulled a face. 

“Ugh, whiskey” she complained as if she could taste his drink on her lips. Kaname chuckled softly as he downed the rest of his glass, getting to his feet and proving that the young pureblood had more persuasion power than Aidou who was failing to get the silverette to move more than her hand that brought her drink to her lips. The huntress gave him a last glance that was so short, it might as well have been his imagination, before she turned back to a whining aristocrat and Kaname turned to his fiancée who dragged him out of the VIP room towards the dancefloor. 


	9. Takamiya Kaito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter the brother-in-arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

Thirty-two. 

That was how much daggers Zero was strapping to her body with the aid of pastel green woven cord. 

Eight on her thighs, four on her left and four on her right. Four were strapped to her arms, one on each forearm and one on each bicep. Eight of them were tucked behind her waistband, three curving around her hips and two on her lower back. Ten daggers were separated into two groups, five of them dangling from each of her shoulders by a green woven cord, three at the front and two at the back. The last two daggers were secured against her ankles, ready to be hidden inside her boots. 

All the daggers together formed one set, looking the exact same. Their size was larger than her hand but smaller than a tanto, both scabbard and hilt flat, only a bit thicker than the actual blade. They all had a pastel green colour with a golden guard that was hooked downwards, the pointy ends curving outwards barely enough to give her fingertips better grip to draw unsheathe when necessary. The tips of both the hilt and the scabbard were finished with gold, but that was only for aesthetic reasons. 

She had taken to wearing a full set after the attack, feeling more comfortable with the weapons strapped to her skin or bumping against her sides when she moved. Besides, a single set was a piece of cake to hide underneath her uniform, zipping her skirt up at her hip, covering the scabbards of her daggers while the hilts and guards stuck out above the waistband. Brushing down the wide pleats, she glanced in the mirror on the inside of her wardrobe door to make sure the daggers on her thighs were hidden as well. She had barely picked up her button up when she heard the door of her dorm-room open. She didn’t even need to ask who was there as she slipped her arms through the sleeves, barely getting the fabric up her shoulders when Aidou burst into her room. He made a beeline for her bed, falling face down on top of it without hesitation, groaning into the thin mattress. 

“I can’t do this anymore” the blonde spoke into the striped matrass, his voice coming out muffled but still clear enough for the silverette to hear. Zero turned to him as she buttoned up her shirt, walking over to her bed. 

“Do what?” she asked as she placed her knee on top of her bed next to him, lowering herself until she was sitting sideways, looking at the side of his face as he twisted his head to prevent himself from suffocating. He averted his eye as soon as he caught sight of her grey bra she was still in the middle of covering, his cheeks heating up even when it wasn’t the first time he had caught an eye-full. He had yet to kick the habit of barging into her room without knocking and it had happened all too often that she was changing when he did. Zero had already stopped caring and Aidou was getting desensitized to seeing too much of her skin, but he still flushed whenever he did. She appreciated the fact that he averted his eyes though, even when they both knew he had seen practically everything already. 

“Tutoring Yuuki” he said as he reached out for the fluffy blank blanket that was draped over the side of her bedframe, pulling it towards himself to bunch it up inside the circle he formed with his arms, shaping it into a pillow to bury his face in. 

“Say no more” Zero said, patting his back in a comforting gesture. “That was my job before, and boy, am I glad it’s not my responsibility anymore.” 

“You’re evil” Aidou complained to which Zero scoffed in answer, reaching up pull her hair up into a ponytail. 

“You only figured that out now?” she asked, holding onto her hair with one hand while reaching for the obi kazari that was wrapped around her other wrist. 

“No” he whined, sending the pureblood a petulant pout. “I just wanted some sympathy.” 

“Then you’re at the wrong address for that, Busa” she responded, tying off the knot that secured her hair before letting herself fall down on her back next to him, folding her hands behind her head where she entwined her fingers into a makeshift pillow. 

“The best I can give you is ten minutes to rant, starting now” she said and Aidou needed no more prompting, rolling onto his side to look at her, instead clutching the blanket to his chest, curling around it for comfort. 

“I know I’m not supposed to say any of this because she’s a pureblood, but I can’t stay silent anymore! I can’t stand the way she acts” he said and Zero turned her head to look at him. 

“Kaname-sama asked me to tutor her in the things she didn’t know. To teach her how the vampire society works and how she’s supposed to act as a pureblood. But she just doesn’t listen! I’m wasting my time trying to teach her anything because she’s literally not listening to a word I say. She’s either humming and looking around or trying to improve on her drawing skills. Did she do that with you too?” he asked and the silverette raised an eyebrow. 

“Do you think I would allow her to?” she asked and Aidou sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. 

“The worst is, that’s the least of what annoys me. The thing I can’t stand the most is how her personality has changed after awakening” he said and Zero’s expression smoothed out as his brows furrowed together. 

“When she was a human, she used to be innocent and energetic. She used to be… somewhat pure, if that makes sense. At least her intentions were, and the way she interacted with other people” he said and the silverette give a soft hum, agreeing with his observations. She remembered that Yuuki as well. 

“But after awakening, she’s changed. Not on the surface, but deep down. Her personality has changed. She’s become manipulative” he said and Hio princess scoffed as she looked up at her ceiling. 

“Considering who her brother is, that doesn’t surprise me at all” she said and didn’t flinch away when Aidou’s fist shot out to punch her in the shoulder, right above the tip of her dagger. 

“Don’t insult Kaname-sama” he said and Zero looked at him. 

“What? You can deny it then? Can you really look me in the eye and tell me that Kuran is not the most manipulative bastard on this earth?” she asked, holding his gaze. He tried to do the same, but couldn’t last very long, averting his eyes rather quickly by rolling them. 

“Okay, so I can’t actually deny that, but that’s not what this is about. What I’m trying to say is-” 

“I know” Zero said, cutting him off as she looked up at the ceiling. 

“She’s in Yuuya’s class and he’s told me about how she treats the other students. How she treats those ‘lower’ than her” she said and then scoffed. 

“Well, I guess one thing of your ‘how to be a pureblood for dummies’ lessons got through that thick skull of hers. She’s as stuck up as the rest of them, proving the stereotypes of the hunters right” she said and Aidou huffed. 

“Aren’t you a pureblood as well?” he said, as if that was something he needed to remind her of. As if her status was something she could accidentally forget. 

“I am, but do I act like I shit gold? Like I’m some sort of God, entitled to everything I lay eyes on? Like I’m better than the rest?” she asked and the blonde shook his head negative. 

“Maybe it’s something in their blood that makes Kurans manipulative, like they say insanity it a Hio trait?” she suggested and the aristocrat clicked his tongue at her. 

“Would you stop it? We were talking about Yuuki, not Kaname-sama” he said exasperated and the silverette looked at him. 

“Well, Yuuya told me that she has a mightier than thou attitude hidden underneath all that cute innocence and that she is not shy to order her classmates around. It sounds like you’ve seen this side of hers as well” she said and Aidou hummed in agreement, his expression becoming solemn once more. 

“She’s good at hiding it behind sweet smiles, thoughtless jokes and apologies, extremely so. I don’t think any of her classmates have noticed the subtle way she’s manipulating them. And even if they had, she’s a pureblood, not to mention Kaname-sama’s sister and fiancée, and he has made no secret of his affection towards her. She’s using his influence to her advantage, knowing that no-one would dare to speak up against her with him standing at her side” he said and Zero exhaled slowly through her nose. 

“I know it gets on your nerves, Busa. Trust me, I’m not blind to her behaviour either. But to be honest, it’s not our place to get involved” she said, her brows furrowing together. 

“ _I_  don’t  _want_ to get involved” she corrected herself. “I’ve been manipulated by Kuran for long enough now. He discarded my existence to turn me into his peon. He ripped my life apart without thinking even once about what he was putting me or my brother through, just so he could protect Yuuki until he changed her, after which he would kill me because I was a threat. A problem he had created and needed to get rid of before it could turn against him.” 

Aidou remained silent, having heard the entire story from her when Zero had been in a good enough mood to entertain him, answering the questions he had had. However, she never asked him to pick a side, knowing his loyalty laid with Kaname first and foremost. She didn’t blame or judge him for it and would never do so. But she didn’t hide the way she through about the pureblood prince either. She couldn’t, even if she tried. 

“Well, he has succeeded in changing her. She’s his problem now. I’m sure he knows her better than any of us do” she said and the blonde sighed deeply as he rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling of her bed while hugging her blanket to his chest. 

“But what if he doesn’t notice what she’s doing? I’ve heard that love makes blind often enough. What if he’s fooled by her sweet smiles and puppy eyes?” he asked and Zero turned her gaze towards him. 

“Then, do you want to tell him? Do you want to put yourself in between the king of vampires and his fiancée by telling him his beloved is not what who he thinks she is?” she asked and Aidou closed his eyes. 

“I can’t. It’s not my place to do so. I don’t want to be a homewrecker” he said before groaning, kicking his legs around like a child throwing a tantrum. 

“Ugh, this is so annoying! I really don’t want to tutor her anymore. I’ve been able to ignore the change in her personality up until now, but the longer I’m around her, the more obvious it becomes!” he said, letting his legs come down on the wooden bench at the base of her bed with a hard thud. 

“It’s little things that are barely noticeable, but once you do, you can’t stop noticing them” he said, hugging the blanket tighter to himself, both in anger and need for comfort. 

“Then tell Kaname that you want to stop” she told him and his head shot up, looking at her with wide eyes. 

“I can’t do that! He’s counting on me! I can’t disappoint him like that” he said and groaned again, forcefully letting his forehead fall down on the silverette’s stomach. The sudden weight on her abdomen caused the pureblood to flinch slightly, yet she allowed him to curl up. 

“Why do I have to be so observant? Why couldn’t I have been born stupider?” he asked, his breath heating up her skin through the fabric of her shirt. She patted his head with soft touches, running her fingers through his wavy blonde locks. 

“There, there. You don’t have to be stupid to be an idiot” she assured him, hearing him scoff as he turned his head, facing away from her while simultaneously leaning into her touch. 

“I’ll just close my eyes and pretend you didn’t say anything beyond ‘there, there’” he said and Zero looked at the back of his head. 

“Honestly, Busa, you shouldn’t wish to be stupider because of someone like Yuuki. That brain of yours is the only good thing about you. If you lose that, what will be left?” she asked and heard the aristocrat wheeze out what sounded like a laugh, letting his hand come down on her thigh with a resounding slap that would no doubt leave a hand-print. For about a second, that was. 

“You’re the worst, Zero. Honestly” he said as he moved to sit up, earning a light shove against his shoulder as the pureblood did the same. 

“And your ten minutes are up. It’s time for cross-over” she responded as she pushed herself up to her feet, moving back to her wardrobe to pull on her waistcoat, buttoning it up before strapping on her holster. 

“Okay, that shouldn’t be nearly as hot as it was” Aidou commented as the silverette clipped the other end of Rose’s chain on the waistband of her skirt, sending the blonde a dry look over her shoulder. The aristocrat was quick to hold up both hands in an almost defensive gesture. 

“Hey, I’m just stating a fact!” he said and Zero rolled with her eyes as she picked up her blazer. She all but kicked the blonde out of her room, closing the door behind her and pulling on her boots at the entrance hall. Yuuya was waiting for them, her, as soon as they stepped out into the hallway, greeting them with a bow of his head. He had long stopped being surprised by Aidou’s presence in her room, viewing it as normal.  

It sort of was considering the time he spend there. His tutor lessons had set his visiting rates back for a little while, but Zero had the feeling that would change soon. After all, he needed to recharge his batteries, as he had called it. Have intelligent conversations with someone who could keep up with him to revive the braincells Yuuki had killed. Not that he would ever dare to say that in a place where someone could overhear him. When they reached the courtyard where the night class was gathered together, waiting for cross-over, Takuma walked up to them as soon as he noticed them, separating himself from the Kuran siblings’ side. 

“Aidou, Kiryuu-chan, Yuu-”  

“You’re late, Zero!” Yuuki exclaimed, talking over the vice dorm president without shame. “Were you sleeping again?” 

“I wasn’t” the silverette answered almost blankly, ignoring the attention the Kuran princess had drawn to her, instead directing it to the brown-haired pureblood. 

“Besides, we’re still on time for cross-over, right” she said and Kaname held her gaze before looking towards the grand doors that separated them from the noisy outside. 

“Barely” he confirmed, turning to the gates that opened with a push of his mind, revealing the screaming mass of humans on the other side. Because of the lack of qualified guardians, their numbers had multiplied, nearly the entire day class population lined up haphazardly on each side of the path. There were more males mixed in between the fangirls as well, half of them screaming her name, much to her annoyance. 

“You’ve gotten quite popular, haven’t you?” Takuma asked with an amused smile that made his words more of a statement. One that got on her nerves. 

“I wish they would just return to their dorms. Or at least line up” she said, loud enough for the students to hear, tensing up under her sharp look that had them shuffling back until they were standing behind an invisible line. They didn’t lower their volume, but at least they remained off the road, allowing the night class to pass through without being jumped. 

“You’re as efficient as ever” the green-eyed blonde said while Aidou rolled with his eyes. 

“Scary, you mean” he corrected and the silverette pointedly ignored his comment, turning to the taller blonde instead. 

“You needed me for something?” she asked and the green-eyed vampire perked up as he remembered something, the reason why he had called out for the silverette. 

“Right! I wanted to ask your opinion. I was planning on buying a tea ceremony kit, but I’m not sure how to tell which one is good. I don’t want to spend any money on something that’s going to break within the week” he said and the young pureblood hummed in understanding as she looked out in front of her again. 

“Well, there’s this little shop that I swear by. I buy pretty much all my stuff there. It’s a bit pricey, but the quality is great” she said before glancing back at him. 

“The shop’s hard to find, but I can draw up a map if you want. Even if you don’t buy anything there, I’m sure they can give you advice at the very least” she said and Takuma nodded gratefully. 

“If you would, that would be helpful. Thank you” he said and Zero answered with a curt hum. 

“I’m pretty sure you can get some books on rakugo there too” she said, making the blonde even more excited about the store than he already was. Not that the silverette minded his excitement. Together, he and Aidou easily filled the silence as they made their way to the school building, not needing her or Yuuya to say something to keep them going. The conversation only stopped when they entered their classroom, Aidou taking his place next to her at the front row like usual while Takuma re-joined Kaname. Zero’s gaze shifted from the blonde’s retreating back to the pureblood he was walking towards, her short glance turning into a stare as her eyes met sienna red that had already been directed at her. She found looking away harder than she remembered it to be and she didn’t know when it had started. Perhaps when she had noticed a shift in the older vampire’s gaze? 

She couldn’t put her finger on what it was and at times, she even had the feeling it might be her imagination. However, she rarely doubted herself and she had always been good at reading body-language. It had been part of her training after all. She knew something had changed but she couldn’t tell what. It bothered her, but not as much as it annoyed her. Because if she noticed that something had changed in his gaze, she needed to admit to the fact that something had changed on her side as well. That she was looking at him often and long enough to notice a difference. Perhaps a shift had occurred in both of them at the night-club, when Zero had opened up a tiny bit about her feelings towards her late brother to someone who might possibly be capable of understanding her and what she felt. Or maybe it had happened before that, when they had been drowning their problems and feelings? It didn’t matter when it had happened, what did was the fact that it had and she didn’t know why. 

Had she forgiven him for what he had done? No, certainly not. Not in a million years. And considering she was immortal, possibly even longer than that. There was no way in hell she would ever forgive him. But maybe she had let go of her anger towards him a little. Not much, but enough to act civil with him. After all, she understood why he had done what he did. And while this fact pissed her off, understanding went a long way. A way that would never lead to forgiveness, but it didn’t need to either. 

A familiar presence had the young pureblood perk up, looking away from the Kuran prince towards the door of the classroom, the action so sudden, it cut Aidou off mid-rant about his improvements about his new blood tablets. 

“Hmm? What is it?” he asked, curious about what had drawn her attention so obviously. Zero’s stomach twisted into knots, her hearing picking up on footsteps that resounded in an empty hallway like a bad horror-movie. She swallowed thickly, trying to push down the very human nervousness she felt. 

“No, it’s nothing” she said, though it was clearly not nothing. However, Aidou had a smidgen more tact than to ask, for which the young pureblood was grateful. It left her more time to calm herself down and come up with a way to deal with the inevitable. Or at least try to. She wasn’t very successful, much to her regret. In fact, by the time the door opened, it had gotten worse. She recognized the messy mop of ash-brown hair that poked through the door first, followed by the profile of a handsome young man, having lost all the baby fat that Zero knew had been there before. Warm hazel eyes turned to her before lighting up in surprise while the silverette could do nothing but stare back blankly. 

“Hello, vampires” the brunet said, turning his attention to the other occupants in the room as if nothing had happened. Despite the nest of hornets in her stomach, the pureblood found it amusing how the night class students bristled at being called exactly what they were. They were vampires, after all, but it was probably the mocking, disgusted tone their new teacher had used that pissed them off. Zero caught sight of two throwing knives as they sailed through the air towards the brunet, embedding themselves into the cover of a thick book. The item was moved aside, barely enough to allow one hazel eye to come into view, looking at the purple-haired vampire standing next to her master. 

“My name is Takamiya Kaito, and I will be replacing Yagari Toga as your teacher” the young man introduced himself, not looking away from the owner of the daggers. 

“Being your teachers means I have a list of your names and pictures, making it unnaturally easy for me to know which name to put on my ‘to-kill’ list. Please do give me a reason to put your name on it” he added and Aidou looked at the pureblood next to him with a grimace. 

“You know him?” he asked in distaste and Zero couldn’t find it in herself to look away from the older hunter. 

“You could say he’s something like my sempai, though I will never tell him that. It’ll only get to his head” she said and Aidou frowned as he started connecting the dots. 

“You mean to say he’s?” he started, allowing the silverette to finish his sentence for him. 

“A fellow student of shishou? Yes, he is” Zero confirmed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And to be honest, he’s worse than me when it comes to hating vampires. Worse than I used to be before I awakened.” 

Aidou didn’t seem capable of believing her words or the meaning behind them as he stared at the brunet with wide eyes, unable to comprehend the possibility of someone being worse than she had been. However, it was the truth and Kaito’s hatred for vampires was not ungrounded. Zero had been with him when he had killed his own brother who had fallen to the end. She knew him better than anyone, not to mention that she understood him, as someone who had killed her own brother as well. Of course, their situations were vastly different and the reasons why they had offed their siblings were worlds apart, but they had both done it to take away the suffering of a person close to their heart. They both carried an unforgivable sin but did so gladly if it meant that their brothers did not have to suffer through pain or loneliness. Perhaps they were masochists, but that mattered little when they knew they had done the right thing. That they had done what their brothers had wanted them to do. 

To be honest, her relationship with Kaito was odd, to say the least. Before Taito’s incident, Zero had disliked Kaito with a passion because of the way he would always bully them, especially Ichiru. But as time had passed, especially after their first mission that had ended in a disaster, a friendship had started to build. Of course, he still got on her nerves like no-one else, but it was impossible not to grow closer to someone when you went on mission together, doing things no child should ever do. An unwanted but unbreakable bond had formed between them because of the things they had gone through and the experiences they had shared. It was hard to put a label on what they were to each other, but Zero knew Kaito was extremely important to her. Not as important as Ichiru had been, but no less than Yagari and Kaien. 

Therefore, it wasn’t that weird that she feared rejection, knowing how much Kaito hated purebloods. 

“Zero?” Aidou asked as he stood up after the last class had finished, frowning at her in confusion when she didn’t move. The silverette looked away from the brunet to the blonde standing in front of her desk. 

“It’s alright. I’ll return to the dorms later” she said and blue eyes narrowed at her slightly before they trailed over to the hunter who was taking his time gathering the three pathetic books he had used during his lessons. 

“Alright. See you later” he said, leaving the two alone in the classroom with a last glance at the older hunter, one that looked almost like a warning. Kaito scoffed at the blonde as the door closed behind him, shaking with his head slightly. 

“You really need new friends. Vampires don’t count” he said as he let go of the books, undoing any effort he had put in getting them straightened as he walked over to where she sat. 

“Do you really think so?” Zero asked, gaining his attention as he raised an eyebrow at her, sitting down on the edge of her desk much like Yagari constantly used to do. 

“That you can’t be friends with a vampire. With a pureblood” she clarified her question, her arms still crossed in front of her chest where they had been for the entire night. Kaito could read her body language like a book, having no trouble at all to pick up on her nerves and the defensive way she was holding herself, using blunt words as an attack to protect her core. Not her physical core, but her feelings. He frowned at her, shifting until he was seated fully on her desk, facing her with his feet placed on each side of her next to her hips. 

“What do you mean?” he asked as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his hands dangling down in between them. It was amusing how even a simple conversation turned confrontational with them, their crass and frank personalities clashing together and butting heads. 

“I’m a pureblood” Zero said, subtility never having been her thing. Afraid for rejection or not, Kaito was the only person she could be blunt with. Being anything but direct with him was useless anyway, considering the way he could read her body as if she was talking to him using words. They had both been taught how to read body language but Kaito had always had a knack for it and had used her as a test person the entire time, making trying to hide something from him a waste of her energy. She allowed his eyes to scan her, looking for any hint of a lie before the silent request for proof entered his eyes. Without saying anything she shifted until she could pull up the hem of her shirt, moving aside one of her daggers to reveal the seal she had placed on herself to restrain her powers. Just as wordlessly, unsure of how to respond, he reached out to touch her hip, the heat of his hand touching her skin sending sparks of warmth through her, his thumb brushing across the peach blossoms drawn onto alabaster surface, no doubt sensing the power that flowed through it. 

“You can’t wipe it off” she said and his eyes rose up to meet hers, partially blank and partially annoyed. ‘I’m not that stupid’, he seemed to be saying but his thoughts were working a mile an hour, so he couldn’t hold onto his annoyance. He turned his attention back to the seal on her hip before heaving a sigh that broke the silence that had stretched after her words. She lowered her shirt as he moved to sit straighter again, meeting her gaze again. 

“Well, to be honest, shishou has already dropped a couple hints here and there on our way here, so it doesn’t really come as that much of a surprise” he admitted and Zero blinked at him, not quite sure how to respond to that. 

“Of course, he didn’t outright say what you were because he didn’t want me to judge before I saw you for myself, so that’s what I plan to do” he said and reached up to touch her cheek. 

“I’ll just have to hang out with you to determine whether you’re still the same or if I have to put a bullet in between your pretty eyes” he said before a crooked smirk pulled on only one corner of his lips. 

“Would be such a shame, though, so don’t make me do it” he said and Zero scoffed, her shoulders relaxing a little bit at the response she had been hoping for while fearing for the worst. 

“No need to worry. I’m still the same as I was before. I’m still loyal to Cross and shishou instead of the VHA as a whole and I couldn’t care less about the vampire society. I’m still too soft-hearted with no intention of becoming a honey trap, so there is no need for Kaito intimidation tactic number two” she said and an amused sniff passed through his nose as he wiggled his eyebrows. 

“You sure?” he asked and she rolled with her eyes. When they had been younger, one of the things that he had used to bully her was her gender, saying that female hunters were used as honey traps, luring in unsuspected Es to kill them once they were close enough. Once upon a time, she had regrettably believed him. She had also believed him when he had said he was going to help her become the best lure she could be by getting her comfortable with male proximity. The shitty thing was, what he had said had actually made sense, so it had lasted a very long time, not to mention that it had been successful. His intimidation tactics had gotten her comfortable with male proximity to the point it no longer fazed her, allowing her to remain solid of mind in positions that would fluster or even scare others.  

But she had been so god-damned pissed when Yagari had told her that not all woman were honey traps. 

She had gotten into a huge fight with Kaito after that revelation, to the point of broken bones on both sides, yet all he had been able to do was laugh with her nativity. It hadn’t stopped him from continuing to tease her about it, still using his ‘tactics’ to make fun of her by reminding her of it, but Zero was too desensitized to care, already used to how he would invade her personal space. She did end up pushing him back with her hand in his face though, nearly causing him to topple off the desk with a cackle as she stood up with a shake of her head. 

“Are you coming to the president’s residence?” he asked as he threw his legs over the desk as she stepped around it, getting to his feet again. 

“Yeah, he asked me to come by so we can catch you up about why you’re here. As my back-up” she said and he made a sound as he picked up his previously abandoned books. 

“Psh, you’re enjoying that particular fact, aren’t you?” he said and Zero looked over her shoulder at him. 

“Yes. Yes, I am” she confirmed, her amusement obvious in both her tone and her expression, stepping forward when he gave her a shove. 

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. It’s a one-time thing” he warned her and she exhaled a short chuckle through her nose. 

“Didn’t we used to do this all the time, though?” she asked as she pushed her hands into the pockets of her skirt, looking sideway at the taller hunter next to her who grimaced a little. 

“Yeah, but that was when we were still in-training. We’ve already graduated from that” he said and Zero smirked. 

“Isn’t it just because you’re bitter about being my back-up?” she asked and the brunet scoffed. 

“Shut up. You don’t have to keep repeating it. I won’t forget it” he said with a shove of his elbow, nearly hard enough to make her stumble aside. 

“You sure? I don’t mind reminding you” she said and he took his hand out of his pocket to push her head down. 

“This little shit” he grumbled underneath his breath but around a smile as they continued to horse around on their way to the chairman’s residence. They even continued doing so until they passed the threshold, stopping to take off their shoes before travelling the hallway to the living area. 

“Alright, let’s hear what these dinosaurs have to say” Kaito said, obviously loud enough for the two men inside the living room to hear him. 

“Who are you calling a dinosaur, you idiotic student” Yagari said, sending a one-eyed glare at his oldest pupil while Kaien just looked off in the distance with a troubled smile. 

“Dinosaur, huh. Do you think I’m old enough to have met one?” he asked, sounding almost wistfully, earning himself three confused looks. 

“Get your head out of the gutter, Cross. Of course, you haven’t. They went extinct over a hundred million years ago” Zero said as she sat down in the sofa next to her master, crossing her legs politely as she reached out for the teapot on the table. She poured one of the cups, satisfied with the scent she could smell that told her it was Yagari who had made the tea. Just because poison didn’t affect her, didn’t mean she liked to ingest it. 

“Is it safe for human consumption?” Kaito asked warily as he sat down on her other side, throwing his arm across the back-leaning behind her. 

“I was the one who made it, so yes” the older hunted answered before Zero could, confirming what the silverette’s nose had guessed. 

“So cruel! I can make tea!” Kaien said insulted as he looked at the younger trio who levelled him with a blank look. 

“Can you make tea that doesn’t cause a spoon to stand up in the middle of the cup like it’s stuck in cement?” Yagari asked and the blonde opened his mouth to respond but was unable to find the words to deny. He slumped in his seat with a childish pout, looking half a second away from crying. 

“I told Kaito about me being a pureblood” Zero said before the waterworks could start, knowing they’d all be dragged up in his pace if he was allowed to act out his dramatic episode. 

“He said you already dropped a couple of hints” she said as she send her teacher a sideway look. The older man gave a shrug, unfazed by being exposed for committing what used to be a crime. 

“He was going to find out sooner or later, considering what this is all about. He needs to hear the history, the true one, if he’s going to stay here as your backup” he said and Kaito made a sound. 

“Can we stop using that word?” the brunet requested with a grimace, causing the others to smirk at him. 

“How about side-kick?” Zero suggested, remaining unmoving when he gripped her nape. 

“Don’t you dare” he said, giving her neck a gentle but firm squeeze that send an involuntary tingle down her spine and up her skull, prickling her skin. Most people would flinch from the sensation and try to pull away from it, the lack of reaction discouraging the brunet from doing it again as he returned his arm to its former position on the backrest. 

“So, what’s this about true history and why do I need to know it to do this assignment?” he asked, turning back to the subject at hand. 

“Because to be Zero’s assistant, you’ll need to be prepared to face what we call hidden weapon users” Kaien said, the first part of his sentence making the young hunter’s eyebrow twitch while the last part made him frown. 

“Hidden weapon users? Like concealed weapons?” he asked and Yagari scoffed. 

“That, but taken to a whole other level” he responded and Zero placed her cup on the saucer on the table in front of her. 

“It’s a secret art that’s passed down in my clan. My pureblood clan” she said, deciding to start her explanation there. Kaito turned his attention to her, remaining silent to allow her to speak without interruption. 

“The esteemed Kiryuu family is a pureblood family. Kiryuu Ran, my father, was a pureblood vampire. The Kiryuus are one of the oldest pureblood lines, but because of their way of living, they remained under the radar for most part, ever since the pre-apocalypse. Back then, they lived in seclusion, separated and hidden from human society and vampire society. Everyone knew of them, but hardly anyone saw them, only having heard of their existence from whispers carried by the wind” she said, keeping her gaze on the cup without truly seeing it. 

“The moon clan, as they used to be called back in the days because of the albinism of their creators, was made up out of four villages with each a chief. North, east, south and west. Each chief had a part of the town under their control. It was theirs to protect and to train. But only one of the chiefs was a pureblood. She was the East village chief and the ancestor of the Kiryuu line, head-founder of the moon clan. They lived in relative peace together with humans who had taken refugee under their wings because of the rumours of their skills. Their mastery of weapons was enough to keep them out of the war between the races” she said, repeating the history her father had told her until she knew the words by heart. 

“The humans, elderly and children did not need to take up arms, but everyone in between was armed to the teeth and then some. In fact, you could say that their very existence was a weapon. No matter how strong you are, you can’t hold a candle to a master of hidden weapons because you have no idea just how many weapons they carry on them” she added before finally turning to Kaito. 

“Tell me, how many weapons do you think I’m carrying right now?” she asked and the brunet hummed thoughtfully. 

“Bloody rose, the two daggers on your ankles and the three at your hip, right?” he took a guess and Zero closed her eyes. 

“Thirty-two daggers in total. And that’s only one set. Most masters carry at least three of them” she said, causing his eyes to widen as they scanned her body, looking for the mentioned weapons. 

“To face a master of hidden weapons, you have to assume they always have at least three daggers up their sleeve, or anywhere else. Not to mention that a true master, considering their speed and skill, have been taught to dodge bullets, so firearms aren’t exactly cutting it either. Facing a master of hidden weapons unprepared is asking to be killed within three seconds” she said as she opened her eyes again. 

“The reason why you’re here is because we trust you the most out of any other hunter” Yagari spoke up for the first time since Zero had started her explanation. 

“Only a master of hidden weapons can face another master, but because Zero’s status as pureblood is top secret for anyone in the VHA, not just anyone can be her back-up” Kaien said, his dramatic persona having made place for his president alter ego. 

“You two have known each other since you were kids and I know you’re quick on the uptake. With your ability to read body language, I’m sure Zero can teach you a trick or two so you can take on one of the vampires in case she’s not here” Yagari said and Kaito nodded thoughtfully before turning to the silverette. 

“Will I be required to keep a dagger in my pants? Because if that’s the case, I’m out. I don’t plan on accidentally cutting off my tools” he said, earning a whack against the back of his head from his teacher while Zero rolled with her eyes. 

“If you know how to hide daggers, it’s a perfectly acceptable place of hiding. However, considering your stupidity, it will be better if you stick to guns” she said, earning a sour look from the brunet. 

“Besides, what I was talking about were  _masters_  of hidden weapons. Currently, I am the only master in existence. The ones I faced at the party were hardly even practitioners. Their weapons were so visible, it’s an insult to everyone who dedicated their lives to the art. I’m pretty sure you will be able to handle them, though they might be a bit of a challenge considering hidden weapon users are close combat 95 percent of the time” she said and Kaito hummed thoughtfully, knowing he preferred mid-range fighting. He was capable of close range as well, but it wasn’t his favoured fighting style. 

“Zero will be investigating the incident and the copy-cats, while your main job will be here, to protect the students while taking the job of teacher. But before that, you need to be aware of what you’ll be facing. Zero will give you a crash-course on hidden weapons so you know what to look for” Yagari said and his two students exchanged a look. 

“Doesn’t sound like back-up to me” Kaito said and the one-eyed hunter shrugged. 

“No, but it sure was fun to pull your leg” he said and hazel eyes rolled up to the ceiling. 

“Besides, considering Zero is carrying the most weight in this assignment, you are technically back-up” Kaien said with a smile before he clapped his hands. 

“Does anyone feel like eating cake? I sure do” he said, changing the subject with a suddenness that almost gave them a whiplash. If they were any less used to his whims, they would have been thrown off guard. However, as it was, they just rolled with it and accepted a piece of apple cake after Kaien had tearfully confirmed that it was store-bought and not hand-made. It might not be the best she ever tasted, but considering she was skipping dinner to be there, she was going to help herself to a second slice. 

“You’ll get fat” Kaito said as he stood behind the silverette, his hands placed on the counter next to her, trapping her in between his arms with his chest against her back. 

“You’ll get stabbed to death if you say that to any girl other than me” Zero warned calmly as she cut into the cake with a large knife the brunet was carefully keeping his eyes on. 

“I know. It happened before. I’ve got the scar to prove it” he said and the pureblood scoffed amused. 

“And yet you haven’t learned your lesson” she said, hearing the hunter huff next to her ear, his breathing brushing the collar of her button up. Zero blinked as she placed the slice of apple cake on the plate she was using. 

“Hm? You smell good” she noticed and Kaito turned his head to give her an incredulous look, making her roll with her eyes. 

“No, I’m not talking about your blood, idiot. You’re wearing perfume, right?” she asked and the brunet blinked before humming as he lowered his chin onto her shoulder. His hands moved away from the counter, his arms wrapping around her waist loosely, no doubt feeling all eight of the daggers behind the waistband of her skirt. 

“You like it?” he asked and the Hio princess returned his hum, relaxed in his arms as she placed the knife on the cake tray. 

“Yeah, it’s nicely clean and fresh. Not too musky and not too heavy on the spices. It suits you” she said and he scoffed.  

“It better, for the price I paid for it. I’ll never buy something that expensive ever again” he said and the vampire snorted as she tossed a stray piece of apple into her mouth. 

“Sure, you say that every time. When the day comes that it finally happens, tell me, I’ll call the newspaper” she said and released a rare chuckle when Kaito poked her in the side.  

“Don’t be so bitter. I’d do the same with shishou once he stops buying those god-awful chaps” Zero said and Kaito grimaced, perking up when he remembered something.  

“Oh my god, a while ago, I went to a strip club and you know what I saw?” he asked and she raised an eyebrow.  

“Boobs” she guessed dryly and his grimace returned with a vengeance. 

“Sadly, no. It was a male strip-club and my target was targeting one of the bartenders. But there was one stripper who wore the exact same chaps as shishou. I couldn’t stop imagining shishou turning around that pole in only those chaps and I almost ran out of there” he said and Zero was caught between laughing and being genuinely worried.  

“You need to get your head checked” she said, the corner of her lips twitching, threating to curl up into a smile. She stopped picking pieces of apple from the top of the cake when she felt his hands shift to her hips, turning her around.  

“I did” he said, having no trouble with her weight as he lifted her off her feet, her hands finding the edge of the counter to slide herself back when he seated her on it. He slipped smoothly in between her legs, placing his hands on the counter on the outside of her limbs. 

“The mission before it, I slipped and hit my head. I thought like ‘nah, bitch, it’s nothing’ until I started seeing shishou grinding against a pole in chaps while swinging around his hat. That’s when I knew I needed a doctor, who told me I had a concussion” Kaito said disturbed and the silverette smirked. 

“I think you might still have a concussion” she said before raising an eyebrow at their position while she mindlessly reached back to retrieve another thin slice of glazed apple from the top of the cake. 

“Really? Tactic number one going to number three?” she asked somewhat amused as she brought the fruit to her mouth only to have the brunet lean forward to bite into the lower half of it. She released the slice to prevent him from biting down in her fingers as he smirked at her, his eyebrows shooting up suggestively. 

“How about number five?” he asked, the pureblood’s eyes narrowed with a twitch before pushing his face back with her hand, feeling the beginning of his stubbles brush against the bottom of her palm. 

“Oi! Would you two stop swapping spit!” Yagari’s voice boomed from the living area, followed by an embarrassed exclamation from Kaien. Kaito turned his head in the direction of their voices, his hands moving to rest on the Hio princess’s knees. 

“It was just once!” he replied before turning to the vampire with a smirk. 

“Though I wouldn’t mind a repeat” he said with a wink and Zero rolled with her eyes, pushing him away a little more forcefully this time, sliding off the counter again. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I really don’t plan on becoming a honey trap” she said as she picked up her plate with her slice of cake, the only piece that still had apple left on top of it. 

“Pity. You’d be the most successful one in history” Kaito said and the silverette was faintly reminded of what Ichiru had told her about their fellow student but brushed it off as ridiculous. She knew the brunet’s tastes well and she was not in his strike zone. Not to mention that she was a pureblood, the being that he hated the most, even when he seemed to have accepted her to a certain degree. Zero had barely taken a bite of her cake while stepping into the living area when something brushed the edge of her senses, making her spine tense and Kaito bump into her back. 

“Zero?” he asked, suddenly sounding worried as she looked into the distance, past the walls in the direction of where she could sense presences. 

“We’re being attacked” she said, moving forward to place her plate on the coffee table, not even needing to look back to know Kaito and Yagari were right on her heels as she made her way to the presences, barely having stopped to pull on her shoes again. 

“How many of them are there?” Yagari asked, his shotgun in his hand instead of on his back while Kaito unbuttoned his lengthened blazer to reveal the dual wield revolvers on his belt, reminding her of the cowboys from the stories her father used to tell her. It was undeniable that the brunet was Yagari’s student. 

“Four. Level E” she responded, turning her attention back to the forest in front of her. It didn’t take long before they came across the foursome, all of them male and at around the same age, closer to thirty than twenty. 

“Is that a mace on his back?” Kaito exclaimed in surprise as he stopped at the tiny clearing they had caught the Es in while Zero didn’t even bother pausing. 

“I told you they were noobs, right” she said as she pushed off into a jump, aiming her legs first. Instead of landing a drop kick, she separated her legs to wrap them around the first former-human’s neck, using both her speed and her weight to swing her body to the opposite side, her momentum pulling the burly man off his feet. He landed on his back, a green-hilted dagger already sinking into his throat before his shirt even brushed the ground. Zero arched backward, placing her free hand on the forest floor in between the disintegrating vampire’s legs, stepping over her head, back onto her feet. Her arm shot out, throwing her dagger into the chest of the mace-wielding E, ducking underneath the heavy weapon that was swung at her. 

Her dagger had hit her target straight and true, the vampire turning to dust while she moved her back and shoulders in a way that spun the mace’s handle on the expanse of shoulder-blades, her arm stretching out to catch the end of the handle. Straightening up, she swung the mace around, hitting the third E in the throat and breaking his neck while she kicked her leg back and up, catching the final E in the chin. As she moved her leg up to the heavens into a split, she reached for another dagger on her thigh, unsheathing it to stab it into the man’s stomach. She drove the blade into his flesh right below his ribs, aiming the tip towards his heart and pushing deep enough to reach it while keeping his body suspended off the ground by the sole of her foot underneath his chin. 

“You couldn’t have left one alive for interrogation?” Yagari asked as only a pile of clothes and a handful of daggers fell into the ground, dust carried away by the wind. Zero turned her red-glowing eyes towards him before slowly lowering her feet, blinking to force her orbs back to their natural lavender colour. 

“Sorry, I was a bit too hasty” she apologized, though she didn’t sound too apologetic as she placed her foot on the ground, turning her attention to the left-over clothes. 

“I was just pissed” she said, hearing Kaito scoff. 

“You don’t say” he said sarcastic as he walked up to the silverette, his eyes trained on the left-over weapons. 

“That doesn’t look like the set you described before” he pointed out and Zero looked up at the trees on the opposite side of where her master stood, seeing two sets of white uniforms. One a female and one a male version of it. 

“Because that is only a half a set, not to mention of piss-poor quality” she said before narrowing her eyes. 

“What are you doing here, Kuran? Night class students are supposed to be at their dorms” she said, raising her voice despite knowing she didn’t have to. Call it a habit. Kaname stepped out from between the trees, faithfully followed by his lackey, Seiren. 

“I felt malicious presences and believed I should come check it out, in case they were the same as the ones who attacked the party” the older pureblood said, his voice even and expression an immaculate mask. His eyes trailed only short over the piles of clothes on the ground but soon returned to her, displeasure clear in his sienna orbs. 

“Were they?” he asked and Zero hummed in confirmation as she looked down, kicking the pile of fabric in front of her, causing a small cloud of dust to be coughed up from the heap. 

“They were. The same level, the same skill, but more weapons” she said and scoffed angrily. 

“As if more weapons will help them when they can’t use ‘em” she said, a growl barely audible in her voice. Kaito touched her lower back, trying to distract her from her anger but only succeeding in helping her shove it down. It was better than nothing, though. 

“Kiryuu-kun” Kaname spoke up, a hint of tightness to his voice as he addressed her, her gaze turning towards him. 

“Since you left not even one alive to interrogate, I would like to hear some more information from you” he said, using the same argument as Yagari had done before, yet it pissed her off more when it came from the pureblood prince. 

“Would you mind sparing me some of your time and following me to my study for some privacy. It wouldn’t do if we were overheard here and night class students are supposed to be in their dorms at the moment” he continued, as if he was leaving her a choice. However, Zero was not his puppet. She didn’t dance when he tossed a coin at her. 

“I’ll report to Cross first. I’ll come find you in your study after I’m done” she said before turning away. 

“And if we can’t be overheard, that includes Yuuki” she said, making sure to add this condition with the former-perfect’s recent change of personality in mind. She might sound paranoia, but it never hurt to be cautious. 

“That goes without saying” Kaname said, clearly wanting to keep Yuuki out of this as well, no doubt to protect her. A different reason that Zero had, but the result was the same and that was all that mattered. The Hio princess didn’t want to believe Yuuki had changed, but she was not one for denial to make things easier on herself. Reality, while cruel, was always better faced head on. Besides, how much could she have changed? 


	10. Vacation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero gets dragged on a vacation and she's not happy about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don’t own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes (n.n)

“You should come with us on our holiday, he said” Zero grumbled.

“Oh you absolutely have to come, I insist, she said” she added, mimicking another tone.

“It’ll be fun, my ass” she hissed, pushing down on the gas even further as she sped past another car, weaving from once side of the road to the other, slipping through the barely available cracks between the cars as she continuously switched lanes. Yuuya was sitting next to her, looking somewhat sick to his stomach but not a word falling from his lips to tell her what was ailing him. The tinted glass helped protect their overly sensitive eyes from the sunlight that was reflected on the cars they sped past and on the surface of the road, so that couldn’t be the problem. She hadn’t fed from him before they left, so that was not the problem either. There was only one thing left she could think of that would make him sick.

“Sorry about this, Yuuya. You didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to. You could have gone back to the mansion and Aguri. I would have been completely fine with that, you know” she said and the raven shook his head with the least possible movement, not taking his eyes off the road in front of him and not using any words to answer her.

“Well, we’re almost there. If you’re tired, I’m sure you can sleep when we get there” the young pureblood said, turning her attention back to the road and narrowly avoiding crashing into the tail of a tiny car, moving around it without using her brakes or taking her foot even an inch off the gas. She shook her head at the situation, wishing she could understand it better because at the moment she couldn’t comprehend why anyone would ever think this was a good idea. A few days ago, Kaname, _Kaname_ , had invited her to join him and his inner circle as they went to one of their family’s vacation homes for the summer holiday. Yuuki had immediately latched onto the idea and had insisted on her presence there, making it nearly impossible for her to refuse when she had asked Kaien directly if Zero could get free from her hunter duties to join them. Of course, the blonde had immediately agreed, but had only been able to give the silverette a couple of days off because of her rank in the VHA.

The young pureblood didn’t understand why Kaien was so eager to get her to go on vacation, but she had long since given up on trying to understand him. However, the last thing she had expected was for Yagari to agree with the old hunter, saying she would need to relax before shit hit the fan. It was as if only Kaito understood what a bad idea this was and had tried to let the two older hunters see reason. Regrettably, he had failed, alas why Zero was there, pushing down the gas pedal as far as it went. She doubted she was supposed to be nearly tripling the allowed speed-limit, but she was too busy mentally choking the brunet for telling Kaien that she could refuse, leading to the older hunter turning option into an order. It was power-abuse but the blonde didn’t care. Not when he finally had the opportunity to get Zero to take time off, something she hadn’t done since her father died.

Zero swore she was going to kill him someday.

With screeching tires, the Hio princess swiveled the car into the parking spot in front of the vacation house Aidou had given her the address to, saying that it belonged to his cousin’s family. Though, looking at it, she would not call it a ‘house’. It was closer to a mansion, smaller than the Hio mansion up in the mountains and completely different in style. The exterior was painted light blue, the windows on all three floors finished with white wood that matched the double doors forming the entrance. The outer wall had a few elements that gave the building a nautical feel, making it fit right in with the sea in the backyard. Zero could easily smell the salt water and hear the waves even before she stepped out of the car.

“Well, it’s surprisingly less extravagant than I expected it to be” she said, though considering how simplistic Kain was, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. She looked over at Yuuya sitting on the sidewalk, his head stuck in between his spread knees with his arms wrapped around them, frowning worriedly.

“You okay?” she asked and the raven lifted a hand, his fingers trembling.

“I’ll be fine, Hime-sama. Just give me a second, please. Maybe a minute” he requested, not looking up as one of the double doors opened to reveal a familiar face.

“Aha! I thought I heard something!” Aidou exclaimed as he walked down the stairs leaning to the sidewalk, sending Yuuya’s back a frown but otherwise not bothering him as he walked over to where Zero had moved to the trunk of her car.

“You’re earlier than I expected” the blonde said and the silverette was pretty sure she heard the raven scoff shakily as she opened the trunk.

“Really? There was quite a lot of traffic” she said and Aidou looked back at the house.

“Yeah, we just arrived about half an hour ago. I didn’t expect you here until sundown” he admitted and the pureblood looked up at the sky to judge the time while she reached into the trunk for her duffel-bag, picking up Yuuya’s bag while she was at it.

“We didn’t really take any breaks on the way here, so maybe we saved some time that way?” she guessed as she closed the now nearly empty trunk again, receiving the young vampire’s attention.

“Hime-sama! Let me carry the bags!” the raven said, scrambling to stand up despite obviously losing his balance with a stumble.

“It’s fine, Yuuya. You’re unwell. You need to rest” Zero waved off his concern and Aidou frowned at the taller male.

“You’re unwell? Too much sunlight exposure?” he asked and Yuuya glanced at him shortly before directing his uneasy gaze back to his mistress.

“Car sick” he corrected the blonde before insisting on at least carrying his own bag with just a pointed look and an extended hand. A gesture that Zero ignored as she brushed past him with his bag on her left shoulder and hers on her right one.

“If you got car sick, you said have told me. I would have stopped on the way if you’d asked” she said as she frowned at him, seeing him avert his grass-green eyes in order not to meet her gaze. Not out of embarrassment, but out of something else.

“I’m afraid stopping wouldn’t have helped, Hime-sama” he responded reluctantly, though the silverette couldn’t figure out the reason behind his reluctance. However, before she could ask him, Aidou pushed open the door so they could enter the house, revealing the slippers that were lined up on the heightened wooden floor in the entrance hall. A marble entrance hall. The simplicity of the exterior belied the luxury of the interior, though the nautical theme remained. White was the main color of the walls and the furniture while blue was the color that dominated the decorations, the dark wooden floor bringing both contrast and warmth. The place had a grand open-plan living with only the kitchen separated, a staircase in the back of the room leading to the second and third floor. The back wall was made up entirely out of glass French doors, giving view of the beach that acted as back garden, a wooden porch elevated over the sand with several reclining chairs spread out in small groups around tiny round tables.

“Zero!” Yuuki called out as she jumped up from the oversized U-shaped sofa that could seat their entire class, drawing the attention of the inner circle to the young pureblood that had barely taken off her shoes. Her white sun-dress billowed around her knees as she practically skipped her way to the silverette, her sheer sleeves reaching her forearms while baring her shoulders, remaining in place with thin straps that were knotted on top. Her hair was divided into two braids falling over her shoulders, bringing the attention to the lace trim of her dress that had a barely noticeable v-shaped neckline, the fabric gathered together only at her waist by a thin drawstring.

“I’m so glad you could make it” the brunette said as she stopped in front of the silverette, bowing forwards slightly with her arms folded behind her back, appearing almost shy as she looked up at the taller woman.

“Not like I had a choice” Zero replied, earning a whack against the back of her head as Aidou strolled past her.

“You’re going to ruin everyone’s mood being so pessimistic” he said and jerked his head towards the stairs. “Come on, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

The rooms the aristocrat took them to were right next to each other, perfectly equipped with a bed, a nightstand, a wardrobe and a balcony, just shy of being luxurious but remaining in the nautical theme. White curtains billowed in the breeze that travelled through the open doors leading to the balcony as she started unpacking, feeling a little too exposed to be comfortable but dealing with it.

“Zero? Can I come in?” Yuuki asked from the other side of the closed door, making the silverette look up from where she was tucking a pair of daggers underneath her pillows.

“Sure, what is it?” she asked as she turned to the clothes that filled the bottom of her duffel bag, hearing the door open behind her.

“Why are you unpacking yourself? You can just let the servants do it” the brunette said as she walked into the room, earning a side-way glance from the taller woman who paused only for a second, contemplating just how much her so-called adoptive sister had changed to say such a thing, before continuing with placing her clothes in the wardrobe.

“That way, we have more time to swim!” Yuuki went on, not having noticed the older girl’s pause in the slightest as she sat down on the queen-sized bed, looking around the room and probably comparing it to her own that was no doubt more luxurious. The Hio princess couldn’t care less about what her room looked like as long as it had a clean bed to sleep on. And if the bed wasn’t clean, a chair or windowsill would do just fine as well. Fortunately the bed was clean because there were no windowsills and the chair appeared to be more for decoration purpose and she didn’t want to test it.

“I’m not swimming” Zero immediately said, plummeting the brunette’s enthusiasm within a blink, wide garnet eyes shooting towards her back in shock.

“What? But we’re at the sea!” the Kuran princess said as she stood up and Zero hummed uninterested.

“Well spotted, but that doesn’t automatically mean that I’m going to swim. I’m here because Cross ordered me to come in case the two last Kurans were in danger. Nothing more, nothing less. I didn’t even bring a swimsuit” she said, feeling somewhat detached from the smaller girl. It was strange. She had never expected herself to want to take her distance from Yuuki, someone who she had wanted to protect just as much as she had wanted to protect Ichiru. Very little of those feelings remained after the brunette’s awakening, though. She had noticed the shift in the other’s demeanor before Yuuya or Aidou had said something to her, causing her to put distance between herself and her former adoptive sister. Don’t get her wrong, she didn’t hate Yuuki. She didn’t think she ever would. But she was disappointed with her, and that was undeniable. The person she was now, was not someone Zero wanted to associate with.

She didn’t want to risk being dragged into a Kuran’s schemes again.

“That’s not right, Zero!” Yuuki said as she walked over to the silverette, taking the girl’s wrist in hand to pull her away from the wardrobe.

“Onii-sama invited you here to have fun, as a guest. Not as a bodyguard” the brunette said as she all but dragged the taller vampire out of the room, not that Zero was struggling much.

“And in order to have fun, you need a swimsuit” the Kuran princess said with a firm nod of her head, solidifying her resolve in her decision in a way the Hio princess knew would prevent her mind from being changed. She had made her decision and nothing short of violence would stop her from carrying through what she thought was right. Zero had just driven for hours and she didn’t want to waste energy on a struggle she knew she would win, but not without consequences. She had no doubt she could take on Yuuki and come out victorious almost easily, but the big bad wolf behind her named Kuran Kaname would be a problem. Not to mention that fighting either of them, or even putting up a struggle, might require her to break one of her seals. Weak as she was when it came to combat, Yuuki was still a pureblood like she was. Zero didn’t know how far the brunette had adjust to her powers since awakening, but the she didn’t want to test it if it meant revealing herself.

“Onii-sama! I’m taking Zero shopping. She forgot to bring a swimsuit” Yuuki announced once they reached the living area, her grip on the Hio princess’s wrist tightening as if she was fearing an escape. The silverette could feel her bones protesting, but the fact that the brunet didn’t notice was proof that she was doing it unconsciously. Was it not because she expected Zero to try and escape?

“Of course. Why don’t you take Ruka and Rima with you?” Kaname suggested, though anything leaving his mouth sounded like an order. That was how she ended up in the middle of the shopping center, surrounded by mortals and intense mid-day sunlight that was far too bright for her to handle comfortably, seeking shelter underneath the green wagasa she had been smart enough to snatch up from her car on their way out. Yuuki had hooked their arms together as she sought protection from the harsh rays underneath her umbrella. Walking next to them were Rima and Ruka, paired up underneath the cover of the model’s pale umbrella, looking just as excited to be there as Zero. Three of the mansion’s servants were walking behind them, without any protection from the sunlight and not daring to show their suffering or displeasure over being dragged along by a pureblood’s whims to act as mules for whatever they bought. And judging by the excited look on the brunette’s face, there was no way they would be leaving the shopping center without at least five bags that would be hers alone.

“Let’s check out that store first!” the Kuran princess announced the beginning of their horrible trial of endurance as she dragged the silverette towards the store that had caught her eye. Rima and Ruka trailed after them, unenthusiastically but resigned to follow the pureblood’s whims. The trio remained on a safe distance as the brunette scoured the clothing racks, looking for something that would fit her. She pointed out items that would fit Zero as well, though it seemed obligatory considering they were all things the silverette wouldn’t be caught dead in. However, Yuuki didn’t seem to care about it much, tossing every chosen garment into the Hio princess’s arms for her to try on. She did the same for Rima who remained close to the silverette while Ruka took matters into her own hands by joining Yuuki in looking through the clothing, choosing for herself what she wanted to try instead of letting the brunette do it for her. A different strategy that was just as smart and effective as just not caring.

“You’re taking this better than I thought you would, miss perfect” Rima said from where she sat on the couch outside the changing rooms, able to see through the gap between the curtain and the wall, seeing the silverette sit on the chair that was placed inside the cubicle. The clothes Yuuki had picked out hung up against the wall next to her, yet she showed no intention of trying them on. With just a look, she could tell that on top of being the completely wrong style and color, it was also the wrong size. She would never get those shirts over her chest and the skirts wouldn’t remain on her slim hips.

“She’s been treating me like her personal, life-sized doll for the past four years. I’ve learned that it takes less energy to just let her do as she pleases” Zero responded and Rima regarded her before extending the package of pocky towards her in a gesture of pity. The young pureblood hesitated before getting to her feet, accepting the offering while stepping out of the stall, pushing the curtain open as she bit down on the chocolate-covered end of the stick. She hung aside the clothes for a store worker to return them to the racks before turning back to one of the companions that was accompanying her on this forced trip.

“You’ve been putting up with this for four years?!” Ruka asked, her voice full of surprise and shock, and maybe a bit of negative awe, as it resounded from the stall next to the one the silverette had been using. Zero glanced over in the direction of the no doubt accidental shout, leaned back against the wall while pushing her hands into the pockets of her pale blue baggy denim that was so ripped up, she might as well be wearing nothing at all. Not that it mattered much, considering how hot it was outside.

“You have more patience than we give you credit for” the ginger said and the silverette scoffed, looking up when she saw Yuuki approach them again, followed by two of the servants, the last one standing in the corner of the fitting area.

“Oh, Zero! You’re already done? How did it fit?” the brunette asked and the Hio princess gave a one-shoulder shrug.

“The same as always” she said and the Kuran princess pouted in pity.

“Yeah, it wasn’t very good for me either” she admitted before turning to the cubicle Ruka was using while the two other vampires shared a look.

“Ruka-sempai? Are you finished yet?” Yuuki asked, though she had her brother’s tone down to a pat, making her question sound like an order. Zero was honestly beginning to think this holier-than-thou attitude was part of a Kuran’s genetic make-up. Perhaps she should ask Aidou to investigate it? The results could be amusing.

“Almost. Please wait a minute” the ash-blonde vampire responded from inside the stall. True to her word, a minute later, she was exiting the cubicle, once again wearing the pale blue maxi summer-dress she had worn leaving the house.

“Let’s find the next store” the little pureblood announced, turning away from the three she believed to be below her stand, knowing they would follow her regardless of whether or not they wanted to. Zero was truly getting sick and tired of her and her entitled attitude.

“I should have lied about having a contract as well” Ruka said when they were dragged inside a lingerie store, barely refraining from grimacing. It was rather obvious that she was ill at ease surrounded by underwear, but Zero didn’t quite understand why she would be when she wore it every day. Granted, some of the items were a bit racy, but if it wasn’t your style, you just needed to look away from it.

“I don’t think she believed me in the first place. A contract that prevents someone from wearing what they want in their own time is just ridiculous and she’s not that stupid” Rima told the ash-blonde vampire while Yuuki was looking at some of the lacier pieces a little further in the store.

“No, she might just be. If she has no interest in it, she’ll believe everything you say because she couldn’t care less. I made her believe a goldfish needs a water bowl or they wouldn’t be able to drink, and she believed it for years. In fact, I think she still believes it to be true even to this day” Zero admitted, earning a look from the two women next to her. One blank and the other incredulous.

“No. She can’t possibly be that ret-” Ruka started and the silverette scoffed.

“Go ahead and finish that sentence” she challenged, though she knew exactly what the ash-blonde vampire had been about to say. She also knew that she wouldn’t dare to finish it, her pride not allowing her to mock her beloved pureblood’s sister in that manner, even though it was true and she deserved it. Yuuki could be smart, but only when it involved something she was obsessed about or something she wanted. She just didn’t care about other things, so she put no effort in them.

“Hey, Zero! What about this?!” Yuuki called out, her voice carrying through the entire store as she drew the attention to herself, the swimsuit she was holding up and the silverette she was holding it up for. With extension, the two vampires next to the Hio princess, who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but under the scrutiny of the other shoppers. Even the usually expressionless Rima looked uncomfortable being associated with the thing that was held up.

“Are you crazy?” Zero asked as she send a disgusted look at the flimsy piece of material the brunette was holding up. It was lime green in color, looking more like a bikini bottom with two straps attached that were supposed to be tied around the neck like a halter. It gave no support and barely any coverage, the worst combination for someone with her build.

“There’s no way I’m wearing that. It won’t cover anything” the huntress said, causing Yuuki to pout as she looked back at the swimsuit she had picked out.

“But it looks nice. And it would match well with the cord you always tie your hair with” she said and Zero narrowed her eyes at the brunette.

“I’m not wearing it. Put it back before I burn it. If I’m going to wear a swimsuit, it’s going to be one I picked” she said and Yuuki heaved a deep sigh.

“Alright, but hurry up and pick one out then. And I’ll check it before you buy it. Just to make sure you don’t buy anything ridiculous” she said, sounding as if she was talking to a child, making the silverette roll with her eyes.

“Don’t worry. It can’t be worse than anything you pick” she said, swearing she heard a little snicker from the ginger. Yuuki made sure to punch the silverette in the shoulder for that statement, a smile on her face that didn’t fully reach her eyes as she turned her attention to the swimsuit she was hanging back on the rack. Zero turned away from the brunette towards the wall displaying the two-pieces, knowing that those were the safest option if she wanted to find something that fitted everywhere. Not to mention that one-pieces were a pain in the ass, even if they fitted her body. For once, she stayed away from the dark colors, knowing that they would only draw the attention to her because of the way it contrasted with her skin, which was the last thing she wanted.

Luckily for her, soft colors seemed to be the trend this summer, but that was also a disadvantage. It meant that the most popular sizes were always gone first, not to mention that she had a difficult size to find. For her bras, she usually went to specialized stores, just to make sure she had one that fitted perfectly and not just ‘okay’. It was uncomfortable and unhandy as hell to fight with a bra that didn’t fit right and she wasn’t exactly small, which meant that it also hurt. There was one perk about swimwear, however, and that was the fact that some of them were supposed to be tied around the torso as well as the neck. It made it unnecessary for her to look for the right band-size.

“What’s wrong, Ruka-sempai? You can’t find a bikini you like?” Yuuki asked as she heard the second tallest woman of their company sigh for the nth time. Ruka hung away the lavender bikini set she had picked out of the rack, looking away from it.

“I don’t think I feel comfortable wearing it” she admitted, earning the attention of the other two young women.

“Are you perhaps insecure about your body?” the little pureblood took a guess and the older vampire glanced at her before nodding in confirmation, her hand going to her stomach in what was no doubt an unconscious gesture.

“I feel like I’ve been putting on some weight lately” she responded and Zero caught the look that was send towards the sliver of her mid-section that was exposed by her grey tank-top that crawled up as if it had its own life.

“I don’t have the kind of… bust that’s needed for a bikini” Ruka said, sounding hesitant and embarrassed about admitting her insecurity and the pitying look she was receiving from the brunette wasn’t helping either.

“And having a flabby stomach makes it worse, doesn’t it?” Yuuki asked, her voice sympathetic as if she understood what the blonde meant. As if her words weren’t the exact thing that made it worse. Zero scoffed, earning the attention from the trio.

“You’re being ridiculous. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your body and the way you look. Having big tits or small tits, being skinny or being fat, none of that matters if you feel comfortable in your own body. It is who you are, and if you don’t feel good about it, change it” she said, earning three surprised looks, her statement catching even Rima off guard as she turned her attention to Ruka.

“If you don’t feel comfortable in a two-piece, wear a one-piece. If you feel like you’ve put on weight or have grown fat, which is absolutely not true, work out. And if you’re not the working out type, find something that is right for you and that you like doing. If you do, working out becomes something fun and you won’t feel forced to do it to look good for other people, but you’ll do it because it makes you feel good about yourself” she said and looked back at the rack.

“As soon as you start changing yourself to please other people, you stop being the person who you are and instead become the person they want you to be. You’ll never feel good about yourself until you start caring for yourself more than you care about the opinion of others” she added, picking out another bikini top that might fit her while a silence stretched. It took a little while before a hand was placed on her shoulder.

“Zero? Are you alright? Do you need a drink for your throat after talking so much?” Yuuki asked, sounding too amused to pull off her worried act. Zero rolled with her eyes as she hung the top back after checking the size.

“What are you saying? It’s not really that strange for me to talk, is it” she said while turning away to the fitting rooms, intent to get this over with as soon as possible and ignoring the gaze directed at her back. Though, from the corner of her eye, she caught Ruka walking over to the one-piece section again before she closed the curtain to give herself the privacy of changing. Fortunately, they didn’t spend as much time in the lingerie store as they did in the previous clothing store, stepping outside in under half an hour. Zero was reluctant to hand over her bag to one of the servants that had followed them, but Yuuki had all but torn the bag out of her hands, saying that the sooner it was washed, the sooner they could go swimming after arriving back at the mansion. That alone made it obvious that they weren’t finished shopping yet.

“If we’re going to stay here any longer, I really need that drink you mentioned before” Zero said, once more hiding away from the harsh sunlight underneath her umbrella. Yuuki laughed a little with her statement that wasn’t meant as a joke but agreed wholeheartedly, pulling them towards a coffee-shop that sold chilled drinks as well. It surprised her nothing that Yuuki bought a diabetes-inducing sugary drink that no sane person would ever consume, while Rima’s was less sugary but more chocolate-y. Ruka preferred the classy taste of a vanilla milkshake while Zero kept it simple with iced coffee, but made sure to take a large cup of it, the ice-cubes rattling against the inside of the container each time she moved.

“About before” Ruka started, looking away from Yuuki’s back as she had forgone cover in favor of checking the windows to see if something caught her eye.

“What before?” Zero asked, surprised the ash-blonde aristocrat would voluntarily speak to her without being forced to, even going as far as to open a conversation on her own. But she could guess the other had seen the look the Kuran princess had given the drink in her hand. On top of believing she could order everyone around and get away with being incredibly insensitive, Yuuki had added being judgmental to the list.

“From in the store, when you talked about working out” Ruka said, sounding defensive with a haughty look on her face. However, her eyes told the silverette that she hadn’t really wanted to sound like that. It was an automatic response, one Zero could understand, so she wouldn’t call the other out on it nor blame her for it. The relationship between them had always been rocky at best and volatile at worst, and being forced to hang out had been as awkward for the Hio princess as it had been for the daughter of Souen. That was why it surprised Zero that she was uberhaupt trying to strike up a conversation.

“Yeah, what about it?” she asked, trying not to sound too attacking and instead coming over as blank. But it was better than being nasty or aggressive like she usually tended to be. Not on purpose, mind you. It was just that the blonde’s arrogance rubbed her wrong. To think even Ruka, who appeared to always be little miss perfect, would have insecurities. About her body at that. If it had been about her personality, Zero would have understood it. Lots of men hated women who were haughty. Well, that was what Kaito complained about most, at least. Though he had shitty-ass taste in women and quite the nasty personality as well.

“I’m not exactly the training type and I don’t want to get muscles, but what should I do if I wanted to lose weight?” Ruka asked, drawing the silverette from her thoughts. She looked over at the slightly smaller female before frowning softly.

“I wouldn’t recommend losing weight, but that’s my opinion” she said before looking away again.

“But if you’re looking for something that is low in intensity, I would suggest yoga. It’s very calming and it gives you great balance without building up too much muscle mass. Building muscles is something you can’t avoid when you’re working out, but it’s not like you’re going to turn into a bodybuilder” she said and inhaled deeply as she thought.

“Swimming and jogging would be good as well. They’ll keep you in shape and up your stamina. Tai chi is an option too, and that might even help since it’s a defensive martial arts” she said and Ruka nodded to herself before turning her gaze back to the silverette next to her.

“How do I start with something like that?” she asked and Zero shrugged.

“You just do. I mean, I go running every morning and evening. Sixteen kilometers in the morning and ten in the evening. After my morning run, I do yoga for half an hour and during my break, it’s tai chi for the same amount. After my evening run, I usually spar with either Yuuya, Kaito, Cross or shishou for about two hours, or I train by myself” she summed up her training schedule roughly, causing two pairs of eyes to widen, a third pair having caught their conversation a bit further in front of them, looking away from a store selling baby articles.

“Yuuya follows me on my runs and helps me train and Busa only joins me for yoga and the last ten kilometers of the day. Though lately, he’s been showing interest in the fighting part of my training, so I’m giving him three more days before he asks for lessons” she said, a light smirk playing on her lips.

“Hanabusa is running?! Doing yoga and planning on fighting?! Since when?!” Ruka exclaimed, clearly shocked by the idea of Hanabusa working out. Zero couldn’t blame her. When Aidou had first started running with her, he hadn’t even been able to finish two kilometers without tripping over his own sloppy feet. The little prick was fast in a sprint but had no stamina.

“Since that science project we had to do. He just joined in” the pureblood responded carelessly, giving a one-shoulder shrug while raising her cup to her lips, taking the thick straw in between her lips and leaving the other vampires with that knowledge. Yuuki soon lost interest in the Aidou and exercise subject, turning her attention to shopping once more as she dragged the other girls into a make-up store. To say that Zero was relieved to get back to the mansion was an understatement, her arms being the only ones that were empty but only because the one thing she had bought after leaving the lingerie store was something that fitted inside her pocket. She liked accessories, sue her.

Changing didn’t take long at all, replacing her tank top with a triangle wrap bikini top, the salmon pink color mismatching with the white bottoms that had a green palm leaf print. She made sure the top was wrapped tightly enough around her torso to offer support and keep in place what needed to be kept in place even when she moved around. She had tested the top the same way in the store and once she was satisfied with the result, she left her room after slipping into her slippers. Busy braiding her hair so she could put it up on the back of her head, she met with Rima at the stairs, the other sucking on a lollypop for a change. It fitted strangely with the white cherry printed bikini set she wore, the top knotted at the front and a sleeveless grey hoodie worn over it.

To their surprise, Ruka was in the living area, looking like she would be biting her nails if that was something she did. Judging by the way she was staring outside and how she jumped when she noticed their presence, it was easy to tell she was afraid to be noticed and nearly shitting her pants about going outside. Not that she had anything to fear considering how well the burgundy red one-piece suited her, the ruffles on the plunge neckline and missing back coverage highlighting her feminine shapes, the attention not drawn away by the floral sarong she had tied around her hips. Zero gave her nothing more than a glance, knowing she was no doubt uncomfortable about the amount of skin she was displaying, leaving it to Rima to coax her outside while she stepped under the burning afternoon sun. It wasn’t too difficult to find their guys, Kaname resting on a beach chair on the porch underneath a large parasol, while the other four were playing beach volley, Yuuya keeping score where he sat in the sand, one of the only two unafraid to go shirtless wearing only a black pair of swimming trunks.

Kain was the second one, standing in the back of the field in a pair of red swimming trunks, displaying a fireball tattooed on the inside of his hipbone. In the same field was his cousin, wearing a dark blue pair of shorts with a loose tank-top that was striped with white and red like a light tower from children’s stories but with white as dominant color. On the opposite side of the field was Takuma in the back, the only one not wearing a pair of swimming trunks but instead a white pair of shorts with a light blue T-shirt on top of it. Shiki wore a pair denim-like swimming trunks with a thin striped white and red T-shirt.

Zero was glad to see them all accounted for, grateful that she didn’t need to go look for them.

“Kiryuu-kun” Kaname spoke up as he stepped up neck to her, his footsteps soundless enough not to alert her, though his presence had betrayed him. The silverette glanced sideways at him, seeing a black pin-striped beige button up billow in the soft breeze, unbuttoned completely to show the expanse of his lean torso, his skin nearly as pale as hers. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his matching trousers that were rolled up at the bottom to reveal no more than his ankles, his feet bare underneath it. His outfit was too relaxed, too domestic, for Zero to comfortably handle, causing her to look away again without responding.

“To repeat my sister’s earlier words, I am pleased that you joined us here” the older Kuran said and the young pureblood’s gaze flittered back to him despite herself, meeting his gaze that was looking down at her. There was something inside his sienna eyes that made her frown internally, finding his pupils a little larger than usual. Was it the sun?

“I didn’t come for you” she responded calmly as she looked away again, feeling self-conscious under his gaze. She folded her arms underneath her chest, watching the white ball be played over the net that was set up between the two sides of the field.

“I am aware, but that doesn’t make me less pleased about your presence here. I can tell these attacks are something you take personally” Kaname told her, his voice calm and even, just like his expression as he didn’t look away from her. No doubt, he saw her face darkening, a scowl instantly taking over her features as the corners of her mouth pulled down because of the bitter taste the mere idea of the attacks left in her mouth.

“The last thing I want for you is to get overzealous without giving yourself a break. I do not wish to see you get injured because you overworked yourself” he continued, his tone changing. Zero blinked twice, trice, and even a fourth time as she let the words sink in. Her eyes shot up to meet his, wide and in shock that she could not hide. Was he serious? Was he mocking her? No, he wasn’t. The worry in his tone was genuine, reflected in his dark eyes even when his face revealed nothing, but that only made it real. Kaname had never bothered with putting up an act with her, had never bothered lying to her. Would he start now? What else could it be? Why would he, the person who had ruined the life she had lived unaware of the truth, worry for her? The idea was ridiculous. After the way he had objectified her and her brother, why would he bother?

“Zero!” Aidou called out and the young pureblood latched onto the distraction as her heart lurched in her chest, speeding up for a reason she did not want to find out. Instead, she looked away from the taller male towards the familiar blonde who waved her over with a grin.

“Come play! Shiki and Takuma-san are too weak to put up a fight against us!” he called out and Zero had already decided to agree with whatever he said, if only to get away from the Kuran prince. The words had but barely left his lips before she stepped off the porch and into the sand, seeing Shiki step out of the field, leaving Takuma behind to cradle his face where the ball had smacked into his cheek.

“Switch” the redhead said in a tired sing-song voice, intent on joining his other half. Zero gave him a distracted look before turning back to the green-eyed vampire who straightened up from where he had been kneeling in the sand.

“You alright, Takuma? That was quite a smack” she said, frowning inwardly at the fact that she hadn’t heard it. The only reason she knew that it had been quite a smack was because of the red mark that was left behind on his cheek even with his vampiric healing. The vice dorm president waved off her concern with a laugh as he lowered his hands away from his cheeks.

“I am fine! I was just a bit… distracted” he said, looking almost embarrassed to admit this while Aidou snickered.

“You and everyone else on this beach” he mumbled, loud enough for Zero to hear and frown at him in confusion.

“Perhaps you should wear something to cover yourself, Zero-sama” Yuuya suggested as he moved to stand up but the silverette waved him off.

“It’s fine. It’ll get in the way” she said as she stepped into the place Shiki had occupied before, turning to the two cousins.

“We’re playing beach volley, right” she said as she spread her feet in the sand. Aidou smirked as he picked up the ball, tossing it to Kain in the back to let him serve. The ball flew over the net neatly and into Takuma’s arms, though his receive was slightly off.

“Oh, no! I messed-” he started, shutting up when Zero jumped after the ball while pulling her hand back, regardless of how high the ball was above the net. She spiked it down straight into the sand in front of Aidou’s toes with considerable force, landing soundlessly thanks to the sand. The blonde’s smile was tight, his chest unmoving as he held his breath, a twinge of fright flashing through his eyes. Calmly, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, the Hio princess turned to her teammate with both of her hands held up. It took a second before Takuma could move again, clapping his hands against hers.

“Boy, am I glad you are on my team!” he exclaimed with a wide smile and even wider eyes while Kain looked at his cousin with pity and the ball with apprehension.

“Why does everything become a weapon as soon as it touches your hand?!” Aidou yelled as he finally found the ability to move and speak again, starting a rant about how she doesn’t even have to hold anything for it to become lethal. As she turned to the game again, her eyes fell on the Kuran pair, Yuuki having joined Kaname in the shade of the parasols, showing off her white floral bikini set with burgundy ruffles that passed as off the shoulder sleeves that matched the ones on the sides of her bikini bottom.

Zero didn’t understand why Kaname was looking at her when his fiancée was right next to him.

 

***~*~*~*~*~***

 

Zero didn’t quite understand what she was doing here, but she knew that it was once again Yuuki’s fault. The little pureblood had gotten interested in a group of humans that had been having a bonfire a little further from the porch they had been relaxing on. Instead of suggesting they make a bonfire of their own, Yuuki had thought of nothing better than to join them. She had walked up to them while dragging the others with her, asking friendly if they would mind having their company. It was a group of seven male humans, all in their mid-twenties. There was no way in hell they would mind the company of three beautiful women.

Zero had wanted to have a quiet moment to just lay back and read a book, not be stuck with guys trying to impress the vampires with the intent of getting between their legs, trying to make sure that they didn’t ingest too much alcohol. She was a pureblood so she knew that it took a shitload for her to get tanked, but she didn’t know how much the two aristocrats could take. Looking after Yuuki was just a habit, she guessed, one she couldn’t shake even when the brunette was getting on the last of her nerves. This bonfire was anything but calm and quiet, especially with the guy sitting next to her with his arm around her shoulders, stinking of cheap beer as he bragged about how much he lifted. Zero was sure she had lifted more, even when she had been a human, but saying so would spark a conversation when she was just trying to ignore the mortal’s existence. The only people who dared to touch her so familiarly without being piss-drunk were Aido, Kaito and Ichiru.

The last thought brought a sting to her chest, almost making it feel like it was caving in. Amazing, how the pain of his loss had already lessened, yet it was still to this degree. Then again, this didn’t surprise her. Ichiru had always been special to her. Had felt as if he was part of her even when they hadn’t been twins, when they hadn’t been true siblings but only partial ones, related only by their father. To have him ripped away from her, even after consuming everything he was, left a hole in her chest. When he had been under her mother’s protection, she had no way of knowing whether he was still alive or not, but this exact fact had allowed a twinge of hope to always be present. The hope that he was still alive and well. She no longer had that now, left with the sin of having killed her own brother by draining him from his blood. It was impossible not to think about, but she tried to. Desperately so.

Loneliness was not something she wanted to think about when she was the reason she was alone. Her brother lived on inside of her but she could no longer talk to him. She could not touch him. She could only dream of doing so and talk to empty air as if he was there, but neither of those things would fill the void he had left behind. Neither of those things would take away the sin she had committed nor would it lighten the load on her shoulders. Ichiru truly had left a part of him behind and she would carry it with her for the rest of her life. She would be happy to do so, even if it was in the form of eternal grief and guilt. She just wished that she could feel more of his presence than she currently did, fearing that time might take it away from her when all she wanted to do was hold onto it. To seek comfort in it in times of need, when she was not strong enough on her own. To gather courage from it, as if he was looking at her, reminding her to be stronger than she was.

“Excuse me” a voice spoke up behind her, sending a chill down her spine as she cursed herself for being too caught up in her own thoughts. Enough to prevent her from noticing Kaname’s presence despite how huge it was. She refrained from looking up while the mortal next to her did, swaying from the movement made in his intoxicated state and pulling her along with him by the arm he had slung over her shoulders.

“The lady doesn’t seem to be interested in your presence. Mind removing yourself?” the older pureblood requested in a tone that allowed no objection. Self-preservation was powerful enough an instinct to cut through the haze of alcohol, causing the human to turn to the silverette.

“Is he right, babe? Am I boring you?” he asked and Zero gave him a sideway glance.

“Quite. You’re lucky I haven’t broken that arm yet, babe” she responded in a cold voice and the man removed his arm from her shoulders, holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture, an annoyed look on his face.

“You could have told me sooner, bitch” he snarked before standing up, nearly landing face-first into the bonfire, but barely catching himself before he the flames licked his face.

“Don’t expect me to thank you for that” Zero said as Kaname stepped over the tree trunk to take a seat next to her, the idea of him sitting on something so primitive nearly making her laugh. The pureblood didn’t seem bothered by it, however, looking over at his sister to make sure she was not being bothered by the human she was dancing with.

“I am not expecting any thanks. I was merely acting out of my own wishes, regardless of what you wanted. Besides, if I hadn’t stepped in, Mizuno-kun surely would have” he pointed out and the silverette gave a hum.

“True, but then we’d be paying hospital bills” she told him, knowing that Yuuya’s intimidating presence would have caused a fight, considering what a drunk hothead the human was. Kaname’s polite but arctic words paired with his blank poise had been exactly what the intoxicated mortal had needed to back off without picking a fight.

“Hey, uhm, thanks” Zero said after a short silence, drawing the prince’s attention away from his sister.

“I thought you wouldn’t be thanking me?” he asked, sounding amused and not bothering to hide it. It was odd to hear that kind of voice directed at her and it made her want to wring her hands together, yet she refrained.

“Not for that. For forcing me to come here” she said and could practically see the response lying on the tip of his tongue. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“I am glad to hear that” he said and Zero looked back at the fire in the middle of the circle that had been formed around it by tree trunks.

“I think I might start charging for lessons in yoga and tai chi if more people join in” she said, remembering her own surprise when Ruka had shown up one morning, taking a leaf out of Aidou’s book. The next day, she had dragged Rima along with her, which had gotten Takuma’s attention.

“Maybe you should” Kaname agreed as he reached out for the bottle of beer in the silverette’s hands. He brought the bottle to his lips and took a swallow without reserve. Zero gave him her best ‘really’ look but rolled with her eyes when she recognized he had no intention of handing her drink back. Luckily, she had been smart about picking her seat upon arrival and reached into the ice-tub next to her for a new bottle, smacking the cap off on the edge of the tub with her palm. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they sat next to each other, though it didn’t take long before the brunet broke it again.

“Did you truly expect this trip to be bad?” he asked and Zero gave him a sideway look before shrugging.

“Considering Ruka’s animosity towards me, I had expected more than a few assassination attempts and a lot of bitch fights” she said and Kaname hummed.

“Fortunately, it seems like Ruka has warmed up to you” he said, having noticed the same thing as she had, earning a light scoff from the young pureblood next to him.

“God knows why, though. Perhaps she’s trying to let me lower my guard before striking” she reasoned out loud and the Kuran prince responded with a short hum.

“Perhaps. She can be quite catty when she wishes to be, though she seems to prefer the frontal attack. Maybe she is trying a different tactic since frontal attacks would never work on you” he said and Zero sniffed as she removed the bottle from her lips.

“As if other attacks would work on me, though she’s welcome to try. Keeps me on my toes” she said and Kaname hummed, questioning if it was even possible for her to be anything but on her toes. Instead of falling back into a silence, the subject changed and they continued talking, not exactly friendly but amiable none the less. It was strange though not unpleasant, and Zero didn’t know what to think about or how to feel about it.

“Are you trying to be friendly with me?” she found herself asking, frowning at him as if she hadn’t been looking at him for a while, giving him her attention as they conversed.

“And what if am? Would that be so bad?” he asked, his words causing her stomach to make a funny jump she wasn’t quite sure what was the reason for.

“Weird” she admitted, averting her attention, not wanting to think too much about his admittance and her reaction to it. As she let her gaze go around the circle, she frowned as she missed two heads she was sure she had counted before. Where was Yuuki and that mortal she had been dancing with?

“Hang on. I’ve got to go check something out” she said distractedly as she stood up, having a bad feeling about this. She knew better than to ignore her gut when it was telling her something, so she passed her drink to the older pureblood. Kaname didn’t reject the drink and didn’t stop her from leaving, though she could feel his gaze on her back as she made her way to the rocky cliffs on the side of the beach that was the best location for vampires to draw their prey to. She hoped she was wrong, but prepared to be right. She loathed being right about this. Seeing Yuuki pin a human into the rocks with her teeth bared and only a hair width removed from the mortal’s neck, was the last thing she wanted to see. Ever. Yet she had crossed the distance quicker than it took a human to blink, wrapping her hand around Yuuki’s face to pull her back. It took no effort at all to smack the little pureblood down into the cliff they were standing on, hard enough to cause cracks to appear underneath her head that bounced from the impact. She ignored the princess’s cry of pain as she turned to the frightened human instead, raising her hand to brush his short black hair behind his ear.

“You will forget about this. All of this. You will go back to the party, continue drinking and wake up with a hangover and no memories of what you did tonight” she said as she left behind a tiny branch with a peach blossom bud. She knew that once the bud had bloomed and dried out, his memories would be gone with it. Satisfied, she turned her attention to the brunette crying on the ground while holding the back of her head. The impact shouldn’t have been nearly enough to warrant such a reaction from a pureblood, but Zero had no patience with her right now. Instead, she reached down to drag the Kuran princess up to her knees by her hair, earning herself another scream of pain that did nothing to sooth the anger that boiled inside of her like a volcano. She lost her grip on her powers for a second, the rocks around them crumbling under the pressure, though Yuuki didn’t seem to pay any attention to it, probably suspected she was the one who did it. She was excluding her aura, but not enough to do such damage.

“Z-Zero! Stop! You’re hurting me!” she cried out, reaching up to hold the silverette’s wrist to lighten the pull on her skull.

“I should hurt you” she said coldly. “But regrettably, that is not my job.”

Opting against dragging the Kuran princess back by her hair, regardless of how much she wanted to, she shifted her grip to Yuuki’s wrist. Ignoring any and all protest, she pulled the smaller pureblood along, not caring about how she tripped and was dragged along on her knees until she managed to stumble back to her feet. She was crying, practically running to keep up with the large steps Zero took on her way back to the mansion. It didn’t surprise her she found Kaname on the porch, looking pissed as he had no doubt smelled Yuuki’s blood in the air that had spilled from the scrapes she got from the rocks and the sand. Talk about a shark.

“What is the meaning of this?” he asked, flinching as Zero threw his sister down at his feet, quite literally. She ended up skidding across the wood until she came to a halt against the older pureblood’s legs.

“She tried to feed from a human” Zero growled out as Kaname crouched down next to his sister, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder that twitched at her words. He did not ask if this was the truth, for the Hio princess’s anger spoke louder than words. Yuuki had crossed a line and Zero was cutting her off without thinking twice and without regret.

“I will handle it from here” he told her as the hand resting on his fiancée’s arm gripped down. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to convey that she was in trouble.

“You bet your ass you’re handling it” she told him before turning away. “Next time I catch her trying something like this, I will handle it by putting a bullet in her.”


	11. Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don’t own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes (n.n)

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Zero asked as she looked at the two blondes in front of her, both looking excited to be here. ‘Here’ being in the school-gym on the weekend. Kaien gladly allowed her to use the space whenever she wanted, as long as there were no classes being taught in it. The gym was also where she had trained Yuuki to use Artemis for the past four years, though the brunette had seriously been slacking off since she entered puberty and had made Kaname a priority over being capable of defending herself. Not that Zero could blame her. She had been trained like a hunter, losing quite a lot of her femininity in the progress. She didn’t know what it was like to be a slave to your hormones, prioritizing her training above everything but Ichiru. But she didn’t want to think about either of them. Not about Ichiru not about Yuuki.

“Yes!” Takuma responded with a wide grin while Aidou gave a firm nod in the hopes to convey his determination to learn.

“Bring it” he said and Zero regarded them before resigning to their enthusiasm.

“Alright. Just remember that you wanted this, because this will be different than punching and kicking a bag” she warned but it didn’t look like they were going to change their minds. If they would, they would have done so after the first lesson they had requested. Takuma and Aidou had been joining her for her runs for a while now and it hadn’t taken long before they had done the same with her other exercises, building up muscles while learning the basics of fighting. How to throw a punch, how to land a kick and how to fall. The last one especially was something they would need now that they had decided to truly learn how to fight.

“I never learned how to hold back so this will hurt, because I won’t just be holding the bags and showing examples. I will be performing the examples on you” she said as the duo stepped onto the mats that had been laid out on the ground in a large square, showing that her warning had fallen on deaf ears. They were already aware of Zero’s spartan way of training, so they were not scared off.

“We’ll start with a shoulder thrown. You’ve seen me do it to Akatsuki before but I’ll show it again. Busa” she said, mentioning for the blue-eyed blonde to step forward as her guinea pig. Aidou stepped forward without hesitation, wiping his hands on his shorts while he did.

“What do I need to do?” he asked as he stopped in front of her, Takuma remaining on a safe distance.

“Easy, just throw a punch in slow motion. I’ll explain the steps as I go” she said and the ice-user nodded in confirmation, sliding one foot back while bringing up his hands in the stance she had taught him before. Slow like requested, Aidou allowed his fist to move forward in a straight punch.

“First, you catch your opponent’s wrist or arm, whatever you can get a good grip on” she said, performing what she was saying as she caught a hold of the blonde’s forearm.

“As soon as you’ve got a good grip, you step closer into their personal space while bending slightly through your knees, turning your back towards them while hooking your other arm around the bicep, as close to the armpit as possible” she said, shifting until she stood exactly like what she explained, feeling the blonde’s chest press into her back.

“When you’re sure you’ve got a solid hold on them, you pull them forward onto your back with everything you’ve got, straightening your legs to flip them over the last bit” she said, lifting the aristocrat off the ground without actually throwing him over her shoulder. She placed him back down on the ground before releasing him again, stepping away once more.

“Seems pretty easy, right” she said as she returned to her previous position, seeing the two blonde’s nod in confirmation.

“Good. Then, we’ll do it on real life speed” she said, turning her attention back to Aidou alone.

“Try a punch” she said and the blue-eyed aristocrat gave a nod before taking up his stance again. This time, he let his fist fly out with a speed he had gained after spending hours punching an inanimate object. More on muscle-memory than anything else, Zero caught a hold of his wrist, her body already in motion to force herself into the blonde’s personal space. She felt his weight on her back as she lifted him off the ground, but before she could flip him over, he released a very unmanly squeak. Lavender eyes widened when she felt legs wrap firmly around her waist, locking in place by crossed ankles and stopping her from moving. Of course, there were plenty of other things she could do to dislodge him, but she refrained from doing so. A total of three seconds passed before the first wheeze rang out, originating from herself, though it was immediately followed by Takuma’s laugh that quickly turned into a cackle. Zero’s laugh was soundless as she sank to her knees, her shoulders shaking as she released the blonde’s arm to fold them on the mat, burying her face in it while Aidou rolled off her back with a laugh.

“What were you-” Takuma started to ask but couldn’t finish his sentence without being forced to his knees by his own laughter.

“I don’t know! It was a reaction, okay!” Aidou said, his face flushed in embarrassment.

“It’s alright” Zero said as she sat up on her heels, looking at the eagle-spread blonde, unable to wipe the smile of her face.

“As long as it works, anything you do is good. There is no such thing as an unfair move in a fight” she said, noticing the stunned looks on their faces but choosing to ignore it as she pushed herself up to her feet again.

“Now, let’s try it again” she said as she held out her hand to help Aidou back to his feet as well.

“I didn’t know you could smile. Or laugh” Takuma said, sounding somewhat breathless and awed as he stared at the silverette.

“I knew you could smile, but the laugh is new too. I didn’t think you had it in you” Aidou said, mindlessly accepting the pureblood’s gesture and allowing himself to be pulled up while she rolled with her eyes.

“You guys are over-reacting. Everyone can smile and laugh, even me. I just don’t do it often and not without good reason” she said and scoffed amused.

“Busa channeling his inner koala was good enough reason, but next time you do it, I’m crushing you, so I suggest not doing it again” she said and Aidou grimaced.

“I’m not a koala” he grumbled, getting back in his stance when Zero jerked her chin in a silent order. This time, he kept his legs to himself as she threw him over her shoulder, though it would have been difficult for him to react considering the speed she had used.

“That’s how you do a shoulder throw” she said as she straightened up, looking down at Aidou laying at her feet with a smirk before turning her attention to Takuma.

“Your turn” she said, beckoning him forward. The taller blonde smiled somewhat troubled but didn’t hesitate in stepping forward.

“I get the feeling you’re enjoying this a little too much” he said and Zero pulled her shoulders up in a shrug.

“Perhaps, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” she assured him as her expression smoothed out again. Truth be told, she did indeed enjoy throwing them around, but it was not without results. They were quick on the uptake and responded well to a hands-on approach, proving this when they switched roles.

“Wow” Aidou said as they walked through the forest, back to their dorm after spending nearly three hours in the gym. “I didn’t expect it to be this exhausting.”

“I didn’t even notice how much time has passed” Takuma agreed with the ice-user, rubbing the top of his shoulder-blade that had taken quite the smack a little while ago when Aidou had been a bit overzealous.

“Yeah, that’s normal. It’s because you’re busy, either observing or doing the throwing. You don’t think about how much you’re working, how much weight you keep lifting and how long you’re doing it for” Zero said as she looked up at the foliage overhead, seeing the sky overhead turn a soft pink.

“When I was training with my father, there was a time we trained for two weeks, only with short breaks in between” she admitted and the two blondes on each side of her looked at her with wide eyes.

“Two weeks?! Without going home?!” Aidou exclaimed and the silverette nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah. We took naps out in the open, hunted our own meat whenever we were hungry, washed up in creeks and ended up in the middle of nowhere because we continuously moved in order not to cut down too much forest in one place. We didn’t even know how long we’d been gone for until we got home and were grounded for staying away for so long without informing anyone” she said and Takuma looked back at the forest in front of him with wide eyes.

“That’s… wow” he said, obviously not knowing how to respond to that. Zero merely shrugged. It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Vampires, especially purebloods, had a shitty sense of time when they didn’t keep track of it in an almost neurotic way and a child didn’t care about it because they had other things to keep them busy. In the silverette’s case, that had been training. And considering her father had been a pureblood, it was almost a miracle they hadn’t stayed away for longer. Besides, the trip had been totally worth it, as well as the period they had spend grounded afterwards. It had allowed Ran to finish her first battle attire as proof that she had finished the first stage of her training. She had grown out of it rather quickly, but it was still in her possession, safely tucked away in one of her wardrobes. It was one of her greatest treasures, even if it was useless.

“Well, I’m in desperate need for a shower. I don’t even need a vampire’s sense of smell to notice my stench from miles away” Aidou complained while stretching his arms above his head, as if to ward off the ache he knew would settle in his muscles later. It might last longer than usual this time, but eventually his healing would kick in. Not that that stopped him from whining about it to her when he barged into her room again after his mentioned shower. That meant that she would not be taking a bath, knowing he was fully capable of barging into her bathroom while she was soaking, just so he could complain. Honestly, he had lost all shame with her and she had to draw the line somewhere.

There was no way she would allow him to enter her bathroom when she wasn’t taking a bubble bath or shower.

Bubbles could be used as a cover for the needed places and her shower had a partial wall.

Dear god, there had to be something wrong with her.

Once in her room, she entered her bathroom straight away, quickly and efficiently stripping herself from her T-shirt and shorts she had worked out in, dropping them in the hamper next to the door. It had taken a while before she had gotten used to the luxury of the bathroom. Surely, never before would she have imagined to have a hearth in the bathroom, a free-standing copper bath in front of it that matched the two copper sinks that were placed on top of the antique dresser. In the back of the room was the shower, the entire wall covered by beige penny round tiles, including the partial wall that former a half-open square cubicle. When she stepped inside the spacious stall, the wall barely reached her bicep, her shoulders sticking out above it. The copper shower head was huge and provided a rainfall of water that wasn’t harsh, but sufficiently powerful enough to massage her muscles as the temperature heated them up.

Closing her eyes, she rolled her head to the side, using her hand to cup the junction between her neck and shoulder, firmly squeezing the muscles below her skin before releasing it, digging in her fingers to move them in circular motions. Doing the same for the other side, she couldn’t help but notice how tense she was. Not that that was really much of a surprise. Considering everything that was going on, there was no way she would be able to relax. The vacation, while not as bad as she had thought it would be, had left a bitter taste in her mouth and thoughts in her head that she couldn’t get rid of. Kaito had been a good distraction, forcing her to watch a movie with him every other day and just sit down with him to read a book when she didn’t feel like watching moving images on the TV. They had done rounds together, had gone on missions together and had gone to the VHA HQ together, just like they used to do when they had still been training under Yagari.

It had made the rest of her summer vacation worthwhile, but all of his efforts to get her to relax had been for naught as soon as the Kuran siblings and the inner circle had returned to the academy. Zero obviously had no problem with Aidou or Takuma. The politeness of Shiki, Rima and Kain had been as of old and expected as well. But that was where normalcy ended. Ruka had greeted her and treated her friendly, just like she had done at the beach. The silverette had though she would return to her haughty attitude towards her as soon as she had returned to school and left behind her summer feeling. Apparently, she hadn’t and it was something the pureblood still had to get used to. Ruka was a lot easier to get along with than she had thought and maybe a part of her was relieved that the ash-blonde vampire had put aside her animosity. Or maybe she had passed it on to Yuuki, who had given her the cold shoulder upon arriving. It had been hidden behind an act of guilt and mortification, feelings that wouldn’t allow her to meet the Hio princess’s eyes, but Zero had recognized it for what it was, had seen past the act.

Yuuki was pissed with her for interrupting her feeding and throwing her at her brother’s feet, causing her to get punished. It also didn’t help that Kaname had apologized for his sister’s misconduct to her upon arriving.

In her defense, Zero hadn’t expected him to do so either. It wasn’t like he had needed to do so because Yuuki had been the one in the wrong and not him. But Kaname had seemed truly apologetic, both about the way his sister had acted and about how it had ruined the rest of her vacation. Zero couldn’t say he was wrong considering Yuuki’s change still felt like a rock in the put of her stomach even when she had decided not to give the Kuran princess any of her energy, but it hadn’t been Kaname’s duty to apologize. It had been appreciated, though. Almost as much as knowing that Yuuki was grounded for the coming months, possibly years, and would be under constant surveillance, not left alone until Kaname decided she could be trusted enough. However, this meant that the Kuran prince spend all his time at his fiancée side and left the night class in Takuma’s hands, who had turned to her for help in case he wouldn’t be able to handle them all on his own considering how a new rule had been enforced.

It was a bit strange because she had gotten used to being around the older pureblood and have him talk to her. Mostly about commonplace things, but in an amiable way that she didn’t dislike. They hadn’t bickered, he hadn’t tried to manipulate her or get to know any of her secrets or weaknesses, and she hadn’t threatened him. She hadn’t even felt the need to do so, because she hadn’t been able to feel any maliciousness from him. During the week she had spend with them at the sea, conversations between them had happened more and more, but only on the last day had he admitted his intentions. He wanted to be friendly with her. After all he had done, he wanted to be friendly with her, almost as if he wanted them to be friends.

And she didn’t mind it.

She didn’t know why, but she didn’t quite mind the idea of being friendly with him. She wasn’t sure about being _friends_ with him, but being friendly with him was easier than she expected. Almost normal. She didn’t know for sure why this was. After everything he had done to her, she had every reason to hate him with a burning passion that would put the fires of hell to shame. But she didn’t. She understood him, and perhaps that was why she found talking to him so surprisingly easy. Hate the crime, not the criminal. Hate the sin, not the sinner. Before her awakening, she would have never even dreamt of linking these sayings to the older pureblood. Yet now, it was all she could think about. Not to sound conceited, but in this whole academy, she might be the only person who understood him best. And perhaps that was why he wanted to be friendly with her. To at least be on talking terms with someone who understood him and who wasn’t afraid to speak up bluntly to him.

Besides, she knew now that Kaname was not the bad guy she had made him out to be and gradually, after finding out the truth behind his manipulations and what had driven his actions, she had stopped seeing him as if he was. Maybe it was time to stop acting like he was as well.

Zero choked on her saliva at the suggestion of her own subconscious, her eyes widening at the wall in front of her without truly seeing it. That one had snuck up on her and it caused her stomach to jump in a way she didn’t want to think about, distracting herself by reaching out for her shampoo in the nook next to her, the subtle scent of milk and honey drifting into her nose when she opened the cap. Why the hell was she thinking about Kaname in the shower?! Why was she uberhaupt thinking about him at all?! Being companionable with him was one thing but allowing him to distract her was going too far.

Not wanting her thoughts to wander off on their own again, she rushed through the remainder of her shower, scrubbing down her body almost harshly before getting out and drying off just as roughly. She paid an almost absurd amount of attention on drying her hair before moving to her bedroom with only a small towel wrapped around her body, the overly soft strands of silver brushing against the back of her thighs and reaching a little past her popliteal fossa. Once in her bedroom, she dropped her towel and pulled open the drawer with her underwear, picking out the first thing she got her hands on before moving towards the wardrobe holding her summer clothing. Judging by the weather that was getting colder, she would need to switch to her autumn wardrobe. For now, she was still fine with a pale blue pair of shorts that looked almost baggy on her slender hips and a pink ribbed Bardot top that bared her midriff while covering her arms down to her wrists.

Placing her foot on her window sill, she tied a pastel green cord around her thigh, sliding a handful of daggers underneath it. Four on the inside and four on the outside, the hilt pointing down to allow easy drawing. As she placed her other foot on the same platform, her attention was drawn by something in the forest underneath her window. A flash of color that didn’t belong inside the foliage, to be more specific. Frowning, she leaned a bit closer towards the window, focusing on that one speck of mahogany red within the bright green leaves while sliding the daggers underneath the cord around her thigh. Considering there was only one student in the night-class with red hair, it wasn’t hard to guess who it was. The question was what he was doing, out on his own when the newly added rule strictly forbade any vampire from leaving the dorms alone. With the current attacks of Es, Kaname had decided not to allow vampires to leave unless they were with two or more.

Zero frowned as she reached out for the two-tooth geta hanging against her wall by a ribbon, placed conveniently right next to her window for a case such as this, when she needed to make a quick escape through her window. She left her window open as she leaped from it, trusting Aidou to close it when he barged in to find her room empty. Floating through the air with her knees pulled in, she kept her eyes on her target until she broke through the treetops, landing near soundlessly on a thick branch in a crouch. It took no more than half a second before she had found her balance and her eyes had found the flash of red once more, sitting down to slide into the sandals she had taken with her. Hopping down to the ground, she followed after the redhead, keeping her presence hidden as much as possible. Her seal went a long way with keeping her aura down, but just to be sure, she kept a sufficient distance while she tracked her prey. True, Shiki was hardly a level E she needed to hunt, but the theory was the same as were the skills that were needed. Not that the aristocrat was trying very hard at remaining hidden.

He walked as if something bothered him. As if something was plaguing his mind, preventing him from really watching himself as he made his way to town. He wasn’t walking very fast either, a little slower than a leisurely pace without dragging his feet, though he didn’t look far from it. Zero was used to the redhead’s my-pace personality, but the blank look on his face was different from usual. It was hard to tell because the difference was so subtle, but for someone who could read body-language, the pureblood was able to pick up on the details. The angle of his shoulders was not as impassive as it usually was and his footsteps were silent, as if he did not want to be noticed. The distant look in blue-grey eyes that spoke of overwhelming thoughts that deprived him of his awareness of the here and now, something he could use when walking into an abandoned alley.

Zero frowned as she crouched on the rooftop of the building that formed one side of the alley, her attention no longer on the redhead, but instead on the reason why they were not allowed to go out on their own. Six level Es were surrounding him in the alley, two behind his back and four in front of him. With a single glance, Zero could spot the weapons they were packing, more subtly compared to the ones they had carried during their previous attack. Yet there was something about these former humans that unsettled her. Their eyes, like the others before them, were fully black, but added to that were barely visible vein-like grey lines that tainted their skin. She needed to narrow her eyes at them to see them, but it was hard to ignore once you took notice. Most of her concern, however, was directed at the redhead. She knew Shiki could take care of himself, she had seen him use that blood-whip of his. Not to mention that for all his lack of energy, he was quick on his feet and not to be underestimated.

That was why, when he didn’t move to dodge an attack, not even showing any intention of doing so, her heart skipped a beat.

With a curse, she let herself fall down, reaching for two of the daggers on her thigh and throwing them out before her. They hit their targeted location with perfect precision, penetrating the E’s bicep and forearm, right behind his wrist, cutting through enough tendons to make him lose his grip on the dagger that touched the aristocrat’s stomach just deep enough to draw a drop of blood but no more. Shiki’s eyes shot up, wider than their usual half-lidded state, but not fast enough to catch more than a flash of silver, denim and pink as the pureblood landed in a crouch in front of the redhead. As she straightened up, she hooked her arm with his, forcefully pulling him with her as she turned to face the two Es on his back, one who had pushed off into an attack.

She reached for her thigh again even when she felt the bite of iron enter her skin, nicking her cheek. Well, better her cheek than the base of the redhead’s skull that had been the initial target. The scent of her blood filled the air, causing the aristocrat next to her to freeze as he recognized the heavy weight of pureblood in it, yet she paid no attention to it, driving her dagger up into the E’s chin as she released his arm to draw a second dagger. As she sliced through the man’s throat, she noticed the second former human remain still. She frowned even as she turned away from him, lowering her torso while raising her leg to block the katana going for her back, catching it in between the teeth of her geta. Instead of stopping there, she pushed her foot forward, hooking her leg around the former human’s neck and jumping up, using her weight to upset the man’s balance. She swung from his left side to the right, dragging him to the ground as she went and managing to land on top of him with her thigh pressing down on his throat, cutting off his oxygen and the blood-supply to his brain.

Knowing that she was discovered, she let out her aura to the limit of the first layer of her seal, yet it did not stop the Es like it should have. While it managed to shake Shiki out of his daze, the Es continued to attack in a calculated, controlled manner as if her aura was not pressing down on them like she knew it was. A thin string of blood snapped out to wrap around a former human’s head as the redhead slid past him, pulling him off his feet and throwing him through the air with a mighty haul to smack him into the wall. Zero pulled one of the E’s daggers out of the holster going across his chest, throwing it at the former human trying to attack her side, thinking her guard was down. She turned her attention to the remaining E to see his head slide off his shoulders, Shiki standing behind him as his whip retracted. Satisfied that she could sense no more Es around their location, she turned to the former human between her thigh.

“Let’s see what you have to say, shall we” she said, taking the pressure off his throat but keeping him pinned down by sitting down on top of his chest with his arms locked in the crooks of her knees before she slapped him lightly in the face, returning him back to consciousness. Immediately after blinking his eyes open, he started to struggle to get away, growling and snapping at the weight on his chest.

“So you’ve learned how to resist auras but lost the ability to form words or thoughts besides the ones that have been put in your head by your master” she realized, wondering if she should drag him back to leave him to Cross or Kaname. Perhaps they had a way of getting into his head, because that was out of her abilities. She was a combatant, not an interrogator. However, before she could decide, a faint glowing light caught her attention, drawing it to the former human’s neck. She caught sight of a rune half a second before the vampire was reduced to ashes. It was the first time she ever saw something like this happen, so she was left confused for a few moments, watching the wind carry away the ashes that had gathered in the alley, erasing any trace of the former humans’ existences as if they had never existed in the first place. Zero took a moment to mourn their passing, knowing no one else would, before she got to her feet and turned to the redhead who tensed up under the weight of her glare.

“Mind telling me why the hell you weren’t dodging?” she asked, her calm voice hiding a cold tempest that was likely visible in her eyes and felt in her aura by the way the aristocrat tensed up. She walked over towards him, uncaring for the step he took back in fright at her approach.

“They were slow and you saw the attack coming. Even if you were surprised about the fact that they pulled a dagger, you had all the time in the world to dodge and even defend yourself. Why didn’t you?” she asked as she stopped in front of him, narrowing her eyes as she searched his gaze for the answer. His nostrils flared before he averted his gaze, taking a step back as he turned his head away to avoid looking at her, his brows furrowing together.

“I-” he started but couldn’t seem to find the words or the courage to finish his sentence. Zero regarded him a little longer before she sighed, backing off to give him his space as she instead started to gather up her daggers again, sheathing them as she went.

“Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook with this. We’re taking this somewhere else” she said, looking back at the redhead who heaved a resigned sigh but nodded in agreement. He obediently followed the silverette as she stepped back out onto the main road, setting course to a little café she knew would still be open at this time of the day, the human equivalent of evening. She picked out an empty table at the window that allowed her to have the entire room in her field of vision, Shiki taking a seat at the table in front of her. When the bartender came, they each ordered a drink before they were left alone again.

“Alright, fess up. Why’d you come out on your own and didn’t bother dodging when you were attacked?” Zero asked, getting straight to the point and not allowing a silence to fall in which he would be able to come up with a lie.

“Are you suicidal?” she added bluntly, earning a surprised look from the redhead across from her.

“What? No” he responded, sounding vaguely confused before looking down at his hands on the table, picking at his own nails to distract himself.

“I’m not. I was just distracted” he said and lavender eyes narrowed sharply.

“Don’t bother lying. I can read your body language and for someone who only seems to have three facial expressions, you suck at it” she warned and saw him tense before his shoulders slumped again.

“You’re scary, miss perfect” he said, trying to dodge her inquiry but without much success. Zero wasn’t going to let this go any time soon. Not until she got a few answers that were satisfactory.

“And I will be a hell of a lot scarier if you keep lying to me” she said before crossing her arms in front of her chest, slouching a little in her seat while keeping one foot placed firmly on the ground, the other stretching out into his space.

“If you don’t want to answer what I asked in detail, that’s fine. I’m not asking for details either. I just want to know if I need to keep an eye on you in case you do something stupid” she said, exhaling through her nose before softening her tone.

“I’m not going to judge. God knows how many times I put my own gun to my head with the safety off, ready to pull the trigger” she admitted, feeling like it was something she needed to say. Something the other needed to know in order to let go of his pride. She allowed a silence to fall, his gaze locked onto the table as he struggled with himself, not knowing whether or not to open up to her. It would be understandable if he didn’t. They weren’t exactly friends and though she was trust-worthy, he didn’t know that about her. Besides the few short three-word conversations they had had in the past, they hadn’t really interacted.

“I’m too much of a coward to do something like killing myself” he finally admitted and Zero regarded him, not making a sound nor showing anything on her face as she listened, her silence allowing him to take his time to say what he wanted her to know.

“Lately, I’ve been thinking about it a couple of times, but I don’t have the courage to attempt anything. I don’t want to die either. People just think that it would be better if I did because I’m nothing more than a puppet” he said and the silverette narrowed her eyes as she regarded him. Not many people bothered to look past his apathetic personality and blank expressions, something she was guilty of as well. But looking at the way he was sitting in front of her, his shoulder drawn up barely high enough to be noticeable, his chin tucked in and his fiddling hands restlessly, it was hard to ignore the fact that he felt much more than he let on. Zero was reminded of the fact that he was one of the youngest students in their class, barely the same age as Yuuki. His laid-back attitude made him appear older than he was and his mature appearance didn’t help either. No wonder the silverette unconsciously felt the need to tone herself down around him.

“These ‘people’, you’re talking about one or two of them, right?” she took a guess and blue-grey eyes rose to meet her gaze before falling back down as he nodded.

“And I’m just going to take a shot in the dark here, but one of those ‘people’ wouldn’t happen to be Yuuki, would it” she asked, though she was fairly certain of this guess even when she was hoping not to be. She had noticed Yuuki talking with her classmates close to the redhead, looking at his back while they were conversing in badly hushed whispers. She had noticed how the Kuran princess had talked to him separately as well, though she had always been out of her hearing range and it had looked innocently enough. Then again, that seemed to be Yuuki’s trademark. The fact that he wasn’t answered was all the confirmation the pureblood needed.

“Fabulous. So, Yuuki is telling you to kill yourself because you’re a puppet?” she asked and the redhead shook his head negative, looking up as the waitress finally returned with their orders, placing a bowl of tomato soup with a cheese sandwich in front of the younger vampire while giving Zero her ham and cheese toast with water, telling them food couldn’t be ordered after this because the kitchen closed before leaving them once more. Zero turned back to the redhead with a questioning look, telling him that she was still waiting for an answer even when she allowed him to taste-test his soup first.

“Not really. It’s more along the lines of how much of a burden I am to Kaname-sama because I am Rido’s son and that Kaname-sama would be better off without me. That he tells her so when they are alone but doesn’t to my face because we’re cousins and he isn’t unkind enough to admit to my face that he’d rather not look at me because I remind him of what my father put him through” he answered bluntly as he picked up his sandwich. The Hio princess raised an eyebrow at him as she took a bite from her stuffed toast, ignoring the strings of cheese that connected her mouth to the food in her hands.

“And you believe that?” she asked and the young man looked up at her, somewhat confused.

“True, it does sound plausible and it will definitely work if you tell this to someone with no self-esteem whatsoever. Hmpf, perhaps manipulation truly is in the blood of a Kuran. She’s a natural” she said, wryly amused as she lowered her toast, giving the confused redhead a sharp look.

“Listen up, I’m only going to say this once. Kuran might not be unfriendly enough to say something like that to your face, but he is a master in the art of letting you know he doesn’t want to have you around with just a look or his body-language. Take that from someone who has been on the receiving end of that kind of treatment for years. He is not giving you that kind of attitude. You will notice it if he does” she said before straightening up some.

“Besides, he doesn’t blame you for what Rido has done. He knows better than to blame you for something you had nothing to do with. He isn’t stupid and he isn’t naïve either” she said before finally leaning back in her chair, tilting her head a little as she regarded him.

“Besides, if we’re talking about people who can hold a grudge against you because of your sperm-donor, you’re sitting right in front of one. Not only did he half-kill my brother, he also got my mother, his own fiancée, locked up for life because he couldn’t manipulate and control her” she admitted, knowing that he’d already recognized her as a pureblood and that it would be useless to try and hide it now.

“If everyone who was slighted by Rido would need to hate you because of the fact that he was your father, I would need to hate you too, and I don’t” she said, seeing his eyes widen slightly.

“You are not responsible for the actions of your parents. They are their own person, just like you are your own person. Besides, judging by how you turned out, I’m willing to say you barely even had any contact with him” she said and Shiki looked down at his breakfast, dipping a torn-off piece of his sandwich into his soup.

“Being in his presence made me nauseous. I hate him” he admitted and Zero scoffed, pausing from biting down in her toast.

“Who doesn’t?” she asked rhetorically, a companionable silence falling as they finished their meal, the pureblood refusing to listen when the redhead promised her he would pay her back. He had tried the same when they had ordered, saying he didn’t need anything because he hadn’t brought any money, but Zero had just ordered for him. She made him spill his guts, the last thing she could do was fill his stomach.

“So, Hio Shizuka-sama was your mother?” Shiki bluntly breached the subject as they made their way back to the academy on an unrushed pace, neither of them particularly in a hurry. She could appreciate his frankness, knowing that talking with him didn’t involve one of the many mind-games aristocrats seemed to enjoy.

“Yeah. I found out about it a few moments before she died, though” she said, keeping her gaze on the road before them.

“My grandmother died sealing me when I was a newborn and my father raised me as a human in secret. Shit happened and mother was only able to complete my transition when she infiltrated the school. Kuran killed her, but after I shot her” she told him, feeling his curious gaze on the side of her face.

“Do you hate him? Kaname-sama, I mean?” he asked and Zero let out a short breath through her nose.

“Not as much as I hate myself” she answered before turning her gaze to meet his without turning her head.

“Including Busa, the chairman, shi-Yagari-sensei and Kaito, nobody else knows about my status. I would appreciate it if it remained that way and if you didn’t treat me like a pureblood” she said and the redhead hummed as he held her gaze.

“I can agree to that. Nobody will hear it from me” he told her and she gave him a grateful nod before turning her attention in front of her again, allowing a silence to fall over them once more. One that was only broken when they reached the dorms.

“Looks like the welcoming’s committee is waiting for us to arrive” Zero said as she pushed open the door, seeing nearly all the vampires gathered in the entrance hall, Yuuki and Kaname in front with the inner circle directly behind them. Surprise flashed through the princess’s garnet eyes, though it was hidden before anyone could notice. Zero had, just because she had known what to look for. So the youngest pureblood had tipped off her beloved older brother after Shiki had left in order to get him into trouble. Was she trying to break up his inner circle or was she just trying to fill time to stave off boredom? Perhaps see how far her manipulation skills reached?

“Senri” Kaname spoke up as the redhead stepped up next to the silverette as they both stood in front of the half-circle that had formed around the entrance doors.

“Is it true that you went out on your own despite knowing you are not allowed to?” the dorm president came straight to the point as his gaze trailed away from the Hio princess to his cousin who looked almost bored.

“He was on his way to the lake when I ran into him” Zero said, knowing that Shiki wouldn’t lie to the Kuran prince. Not because they were related, but because Kaname was pureblood and aristocrats were taught to obey them. Zero had received the opposite training.

“I was doing my rounds to make sure no day-class girls decided it was a good idea to sneak into the dorm grounds but there were quite a few of them. I asked him to help me escort them back because they had noticed him and refused to budge” she continued, prattling off the first excuse that entered her mind. Kaname regarded her before taking enough with her lie. Surely, he knew that she was lying, but he was accepting her excuse. He dismissed the students back to whatever they had been doing before they had ganged up, Rima walking up to Shiki to take his hand.

“Kuran, we need to talk” Zero said, throwing a glance at the young princess whose expression smoothed out from her irritation. “Privately.”

“Alright. We can use my study” Kaname said before looking his sister.

“Why don’t you continue your lessons with Hanabusa, Yuuki?” he suggested and the brunette looked up at him with a smile that reflected none of the earlier emotion that had glinted in her eyes.

“Of course, onii-sama” she said, turning to the mentioned blonde and noticing the grateful smile Shiki was sending the silverette while Rima was dragging him away to become her pillow, a gesture that gained a wink in response as Zero followed the pureblood prince up the stairs.

 

***~*~*~*~*~***

 

“Kiryuu-kun” Kaname spoke up behind the silverette as she exited the building they had been using as location for their meeting. It was neutral ground where neither hunters nor vampires had the hometown advantage. The meeting had been nothing more than a formality, really, but a necessary formality. They had come to an agreement that anything involving the attacks with hidden weapons would be shared information between the two races because it involved both of their races. An official meeting wasn’t necessary after every attack, but after the one that had involved Shiki, a new development had revealed itself, warranting a meeting. In fact, there were multiple new developments, including the Es resistance against aura that she suspected to be because of a drug and the rune she had seen in the former human’s neck. Kaname had been the one to recognize the rune the silverette had drawn from memory, revealing that it was a modified suicide seal. A regular suicide seal was placed upon oneself, yet this one that had been placed on a different vampire with a detonation incorporated, one that could be triggered from a distance.

It wasn’t hard to figure out someone had been watching Zero’s fight and had triggered the mark when they had noticed the silverette had switched over to interrogation. Considering she hadn’t been able to sense any vampire near her location at the moment meant that either the vampire had been out of her range, or the spectator had been human. Both options were disturbing, not to mention worrying. Having a vampire or hunter as enemy was difficult, but not nearly as complicated as having a human involved. Humans were the only beings neither side could touch. Hunters because they were supposed to protect humans, and vampires because they would end up on the kill-list if they harmed a human. The safety of the human race was one of the reasons why hunters and vampires even considered a treaty.

When she had voiced this suspicion during the meeting, adding that perhaps she had failed to sense the vampire, assurance had come from an unexpected source. The pureblood prince had come to her defense, telling her that she was one of the most sensitive hunters he had seen in a long while. He hadn’t cared that they had been in front of both vampires and hunters when he told her that if she said human-involvement was a possibility, then it no doubt was and that she needed to have more confidence in her skills. She doubted he had intended it as a compliment, but she had taken it as one. She wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it but she was grateful for her own sense of professionalism that had stopped her from blushing. It had crept up on her, starting in her stomach and remaining there because she had managed to stomp it down before it had been able to reach her cheeks.

Blushing was not something she did. Especially not because of a pureblood.

“Kuran” she said as she watched the brunet walk up to her, his ankle-length black coat billowing around his ankles like hers did. She remained partially turned towards him, waiting until he stopped close to her, firmly inside her anti-vampire bubble and nearly penetrating her personal space in a strangely non-threatening manner.

“How would you feel about getting breakfast since we missed it at the dorms?” he made a freak suggestion, causing her lavender eyes to widen a fraction as she looked up at him. Was he kidding her? No, he wasn’t. He was serious about his invitation and Zero hesitated. She was hungry and he had a point when he said that they had missed breakfast. Of course, she could just use the kitchen at the dorms, she had done so often enough. But why waste the effort when someone else could make it for her?

“Sure. Why not. We can stop on our way back to the academy” she said as she turned away from him, her coat flying out with the movement. Kaname stepped up next to her, falling in step easily as they started making their way towards the academy, knowing they would pass by at least four places where they could buy food.

“May I ask you a question?” Kaname asked and the silverette glanced up at him, pushing her hands into the pockets of her coat, knowing her eggplant purple dress had no pockets in the flaring skirt that reached her knees. The top fitted tightly around her torso, her sleeves loose safe for around her forearms, the fabric-covered buttons running up the side matching the ones that went up the front of her chest to the collar that closed around the base of her neck. The oxford pumps on her feet matched the color of her dress, the sound of her heels creating a subtle melody as they were joined by the sound of Kaname’s footfalls.

“Go for it” she said, not quite sure what to expect when he opened a conversation with those words.

“Why do you think the reason those Es are able to resist a vampire’s aura is because of a drug? Do you perhaps have experience with it?” he asked and the silverette shook her head, relieved at the question that was easy to answer.

“No, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like it. But I have heard of it before” she said, knowing her father had mentioned it in passing. Ever since she saw those veins on their skin, a flag had been waving in the back of her mind, yet it had taken a while before she had remembered her father saying something that had seemed similar to it.

“My father mentioned something about it in the past, but the effects he spoke about were different. Apparently, up until now, the drug hadn’t been successful and scientists had given up on it. It appears someone has succeeded in doing what the scientists failed at” she said and Kaname sighed softly.

“Which makes it more troublesome for us” he said and the Hio princess didn’t even need to voice her agreement for the brunet to know she felt the same way. A comfortable silence fell over them as they decided to enter the first restaurant they came across, a little too fancy for Zero’s taste but she put up with it because she was hungry. Kaname seemed to be right as home as he followed a waitress to one of the free tables after taking their coats, the silverette trailing after him. Brown hair fell over the collar of a white button up, curling a little past the junction of his pale neck and his broad shoulders that were high-lighted by the expensive fabric. A slim waist was accentuated by the waistband the shirt was tucked into, the black trousers tailored to fit his long legs perfectly, a creased caused by the curve of his posterior.

Zero nearly choked on her own saliva as she averted her gaze from his butt as calmly as possible. There was nothing wrong with checking someone out, she had seen Kaito do so over a hundred times, and that was counting only after he arrived at the academy. If men were allowed to check women out, the opposite was true, right? There was nothing wrong with appreciating a man who was easy on the eyes and Kaname definitely belonged in that category. She was not blind and had never been. Personal feelings had nothing to do with whether or not someone was attractive.

“How strange” Kaname said when they were left alone after taking a seat. “We are drawing as much attention as we do at the academy, yet it is much calmer here.”

“Perhaps this is because of Yuuki” Zero suggested as she folded her legs underneath the table, keeping her gaze on the menu in her hands instead of the people that were staring at them. Nobody could blame anyone for being distracted when the two young vampires appeared to be the embodiment of elegance. Their backs were straight with their shoulders straightened confidently, their expressions poised and an aura of royalty around them, forming an almost impenetrable bubble. Sienna eyes rose up at the silverette who glanced up shortly at his silence.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how her fluctuating aura is kicking up a fuss with the other students” she said and the prince’s gaze turned somewhat troubled as he closed his menu, putting it down on the table in front of him and folding his hands on top of it.

“It is hard not to notice it, but I am afraid I cannot do anything about it since I am the cause of it. Yuuki and I are currently fighting and she is sulking” he admitted and Zero raised an eyebrow at him as she copied his pose, lowering her menu to the table, not even needing to voice her question. He heaved a soft sigh as he closed his eyes.

“It seems as if Yuuki is jealous about how I treat you as an equal, and her as a child” he told her, gaining a roll of her lavender eyes.

“The fact that she is acting like this because of it, confirms that she is still a child in mind and has the self-restraint of one” she said, earning herself a little chuckle that could not be mistaken for anything but agreement, though no such words were spoken.

“She requests an engagement ring” he revealed and the princess regarded him as he opened his eyes again to meet her gaze.

“So you plan on rewarding her bad behavior” she asked, sounding as if she was talking about a misbehaving dog. Perhaps, in a way, she was. But Kaname wasn’t correcting her.

“Quite the opposite. I plan on using it as a reward in order to get her to behave like she is supposed to” he said, a light smile playing on his lips that might as well not have been there, but Zero was sure she wasn’t imagining it. It was visible in his eyes as he looked at her.

“However, if it is to be a reward, it will need to please her. I am afraid I do not know enough of jewelry to be confident in my ability to choose the right one” he told her before tilting his head ever so slightly.

“Would you mind accompanying me. I would appreciate the opinion of a woman who is not afraid of speaking her mind” he requested and the silverette sniffed amused.

“What makes you think my taste in accessories is any better than yours?” she asked and the older pureblood’s eyebrows drew together in a wryly entertained manner.

“I’m embarrassed to say that it cannot be worse either” he admitted and Zero’s hands shifted until they were resting in the crooks of her elbows.

“I’m sure Ruka or Rima would be a better choice than me” she told him and he closed his eyes.

“They would be, if Rima actually wanted to come and if Ruka managed to be honest with me without telling me what I want to hear” he responded and the younger vampire couldn’t deny that.

“I’m going to headquarters tomorrow to check the Kiryuu records. If you’re up for going that soon, you can join me and we can hit two birds with one stone” she said and Kaname gave a nod in answer.

“Let me know when you are leaving” he said before they looked up as a waiter walked up to their table to take their order. The silverette knew that she shouldn’t be this calm and easy going, not when she was with the pureblood who had manipulated her life for his own gain. However, as she had realized before, he wasn’t the bad guy she had always thought him to be and he wasn’t trying to manipulate her anymore. She no longer needed to be so defensive and aggressive around him, but it couldn’t hurt to be on guard. She wasn’t quite sure how friendly she could safely become with him without it becoming troublesome or tricky, perhaps even dangerous.


	12. The cat's out of the bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

_Kaname looked down and shivered in animalistic delight at the sight that was presented before him. An ample breast in one hand, his fingers digging into the pale, pliant flesh he barely managed to capture fully though it was a struggle. A slender, white neck in his other hand, his nails touching in the back and a windpipe digging into his palm. His cock was encompassed by a scorching tunnel that sucked him back in with the desperation of a dying man, juices flowing all over his member and staining his pelvis and the thighs he was caught in between, causing a wet slap to resound each time he pushed inside. Moist lips were plump and red from abuse, parted in a rounded O, unable to get any air in and incapable of voicing her pleasure. Tears were streaming from the corners of half-lidded lavender eyes, focused on him despite how the stimulation threatened to drag her into a daze, the hand cutting off her oxygen making sure she remained with him both in body and mind, not allowing her to forget who was giving her this pleasure._

_“Ka… nam…e.”_

_“Zero” he groaned in response, his breath pulled from his lungs too quickly at the sound of his voice called so brokenly, so wantonly._

_This was as close to perfection as he was ever going to get. His cock gripped by her pussy, her walls fluttering around his girth and barely able to keep up with accepting him inside each time he rammed forward with enough force to rock the large, heavy bed. With enough force to hurt her, no doubt, but she only felt pleasure, audible in each moan that was squeezed past her constricted windpipe. She trembled in his arms under the onslaught of stimulation, her nails digging into his back in her desperation to tell him how close she was, unable to use words to do so. He was chasing after that high together with her, reveling at how close it was. Wanting to hear her sing his name like it was the heartbeat that kept her alive, he released her throat and was rewarded with a loud gasp that was quickly followed by a breathless cry. Finally, his name fell from her bruised lips, repeatedly like a mantra, as if she had forgotten about the existence of any other letters but the ones that formed his name. As if there was nothing but him._

Kaname awoke with a gasp, feeling how clammy his forehead was when the wind rushed past it as he sat up, supporting his weight on his elbow. His breathing rushed past his lips in shorts pants, his fingers trembling with the need to hold onto something while his skin prickled and tingled with pleasure. Or at least the ghost of it. He lifted the sheets covering his lower half, groaning underneath his breath at the wet patch he found in his sleeping trousers. He glanced sideways at the young girl sleeping next to him, blissfully unaware of what had transpired.

A wet dream.

He was more than thousand years past this.

Or so he had thought.

However, Zero was proving him wrong, over and over again. He had stopped counting how often he woke up with his pants soiled, the ghost of her body and the memories of his dream playing with his mind, slowly driving him crazy. Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about her even when he tried. Trying had brought him here, stuck with dreams he shouldn’t be having and with his pants dirtied with desire he shouldn’t be feeling. And all of it right next to his sister. His fiancée. It was as if the harder he tried to resist it, the stronger his feelings became, the more he wanted her. His slowly building friendship with the silverette wasn’t helping either, his guilt growing a little more each day. Both about his lust towards her and the way he had objectified her and manipulated her. He knew he had told himself that it was alright to feel possessive over her and that having these depraved thoughts was normal. That there was nothing wrong with it when she was his.

But she wasn’t.

She didn’t belong to him and he had no right to think of her the way he was doing. Not only because of Yuuki and his engagement to her, but because Zero didn’t deserve to be objectified any more than she already had been. She didn’t deserve to be sullied that way by the person who had done nothing but treat her like she was disposable. She didn’t-

Kaname’s head shot up from where he was washing his pants, letting the sink fill up with cold water as it poured over his trousers. There was blood in the air.

Pureblood.

There was no mistaking it, the fragrance too potent to be confused for anything else. The musk that was undeniably pureblood was nearly drowning out the scent of peach blossom and iron, confusing the king. There was something familiar about the scent, something that drew him outside of his bathroom after quickly pulling on a fresh pair of sweatpants, noticing how the fragrance had woken his sister up, her eyes glowing red in hunger. She was not the only one affected by the blood, drawn outside of their rooms to track down the source of the blood, the unknown pureblood on the academy grounds. Kaname's eyes widened when he saw Aidou rush out of his room, his body moving to follow after the blonde and watching in surprise as he leaped over the balustrade, joined by Yuuya on his way to the door without stopping to acknowledge anyone.

Did they know the pureblood?

Pushing aside his impossible suspicions, he didn’t bother telling the night class to remain as he followed after the duo, too concerned about this unknown vampire to order them to stay. It wasn’t hard to follow the duo considering the sun was only going down and yellow stood out like a sore thumb against the backdrop of green and brown. Not to mention that Kaname knew where they were going, following their noses to the source of that delicious smell that they could all track regardless of how much the scent was thinning from being out in the open air, carried away by the wind but originating from one location in the forest. Reaching the clearing, the pureblood king froze with his hand placed on the tree he had stopped next to, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

Zero.

There was no mistaking who that silver hair belonged to even when the pink sky overhead was casting a soft glow on it, swaying in the wind with each move she made. And she wasn’t standing still. Not when she was facing eight level E vampires, all of whom were holding a variety of weapons. Yet it could not be called a fight either. It was much too elegant to be called something as barbaric as a fight. It could not be described as anything but a dance. A dance of death that was lethal with every move she made. Her beige kimono was tied haphazardly, showing too much skin as she floated through the air, barely above the ground with her legs tucked in, spinning around like a spinning top. She had to be going much too fast for the human eye to follow, but to Kaname, she seemed to be going in slow motion.

Purple-white fans snapped open as soon as she landed, a dagger sliding in between the black sticks on each side of her head before she twisted them around, disarming the Es half a second before her heels slammed into their jaws with enough force to dislodge them as she turned. The brunet noticed the cut in her sleeve with the edges tainted by blood but the skin underneath it unmarred. Yet Zero didn’t seem to be bothered by it, snapping one of her fans closed to drive the tip into an E’s eye-socket when it came too close, threatening to disturb her dance in a way Kaname didn’t think was possible. Her movements were too fluid, unnaturally so, her jumps high and her spins making it seem like she was flying, as if gravity even forgot to do its job, too mesmerized by the huntress.

The Kuran king felt his heart beat in his ears, staring in awe at the silverette along with the rest of the vampire population on the academy grounds, unable to do any more than watch how she made short work of the Es, making even their ashes seem like they were part of her performance. Without acknowledging their presences, she turned her back to them, giving her attention to the lone vampire standing at the edge of the lake. An aristocrat, Kaname realized, no doubt the one who had controlled this bunch and lead the attack.

“Well, that took longer than expected” the aristocrat said smugly as he regarded the silverette, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his feet lightly spread. His chest was bare, save for the leather straps that were wrapped around his torso, going from his shoulder to the opposite hip, crossing in the middle of both his chest and no doubt his back. The same leather strap was failing its job at keeping up the waistband of his black cargo pants that were tucking into heavy combat boots. Short black hair was hidden badly below a dark scarf that was wrapped around his head and looped loosely around his neck. Lean muscles were clearly visible, making the countless daggers seem more threatening. Zero remained unimpressed, though.

“I apologize. I thought you were standing there because you wanted to watch a show and waste my time” she responded, waving cool air at herself with one of her fans, regardless of the blood that clung to it.

“I was just granting your last wish since you won’t be living for long after tonight, if at all” she added, causing the aristocrat’s eyebrow to twitch.

“Well, aren’t you a cocky little bitch” he said, a smile on his face despite the anger in his voice. Clearly, Zero’s provocations had gotten to him, just like she had no doubt expected. The raven stepped forward, the smirk on his face speaking of a thirst that was not reflected in his eyes that could no longer glow with hunger.

“Let’s see how big your bark is after I’m done with you” he said as he reached for one of the daggers on his belt, unsheathing it with a chilling noise.

“If you get on your knees and swear to become my dog, I might forgive you for your insolence” he said as he walked up to the silverette, tossing his dagger into the air with a spin before catching it by the handle, only to repeat the action as he narrowed his beady black eyes at the young woman.

“I swear I’ll treat you well as long as you’re good to me and serve me to the best of your abilities” he said, his eyes sizing up the huntress in a different manner, licking his lips suggestively.

“Looking at you, that shouldn’t be too hard a task” he said, his words causing the beast inside Kaname’s stomach to come to life with a growl.

“Yuuya” Zero spoke up, drawing the attention to the vampire that had taken a step forward, murder written all over his face. She looked over her shoulder at him, no emotion visible in her eyes.

“Don’t get so worked up over the blabbering of a junky who can’t distinguish his imagination from reality” she told him, getting to the unfamiliar aristocrat once more. Her provocations were practically effortless, yet it couldn’t satisfy the pacing green beast inside of the older Kuran as the spectators watched how the aristocrat’s smug act made place for anger, controlling his movements as he attacked the silverette. Zero started dancing once more, twisting and turning out of the vampire’s reach and batting away the daggers that came a bit too close. There was an obvious difference between the Es she had fought previously and the aristocrat she was currently facing. While she had gone easy on the former humans, it was obviously that she didn’t bother to with the aristocrat.

Her hits were hard, too fast for the raven to block or even follow with his eyes, hard enough to make his bones crack. His daggers never came close enough to brush her skin, his advances stopped by the impact of Zero’s hits. While they were the same height, the silverette’s reach was extended by her fans whose length exceeded that of the knives. This added length allowed her to avoid getting her shoulder stabbed while she snapped open her fan, driving the thin edge into the raven’s trachea with enough force to choke him. As he stumbled back in self-preservation, automatically reaching up to his windpipe that had made quite the snap, he allowed Zero to jump forward, her leg hooking around the back of his neck as she swung herself around, taking him down to the ground.

“Kuran!” she called, the brunet moving forward to the struggling aristocrat she was pinning down and choking. Instantly, he scoured the man’s body for the mark he had no doubt was there, watching it glow above his low waistband. He reached out for it, about to place his hand on top of it to stop it from taking effect as the raven begged for the burning to stop. They all knew what was coming and Kaname was too late prevent it from happening. The pureblood king cut back the curse threatening to spill from his lips, instead turning to the night class.

“Search the grounds. Capture and restrain anyone you see. Human and vampire alike. Yuuki, you as well” he told them, his orders immediately followed except by Aidou who hesitated, and Yuuya who wouldn’t move unless Zero told him to. He immediately did so when the silverette got to her feet while closing her fans and moving them to one hand, brushing off the ashes that former a pile on the ground, waiting to be carried off by the wind. While the raven moved closer, she bend forward to pick up one of the daggers from the pile of ash.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to ask you to do something for me” she said as she straightened up again, studying the black dagger in her hand.

“Anything you want, Hime-sama” Yuuya responded without even having to think about it.

“It will take you away from school for a while, but I want you to investigate this dagger. Who it belonged to, who created it, what material it’s made from. Anything you can find about it, I want to know” she said and the raven placed a hand over his heart as he bowed at the waist.

“Of course, Hime-sama. I will not disappoint you” he said, accepting the order she gave him and the dagger she held out. She watched his quickly retreating back before finally turning her attention to the older vampire.

“I believe we need to have a little talk” Kaname stated and the silverette looked like she was going to refuse, but looked away in resignation. The older man was not going to take no for an answer and Zero was fully aware of it. She knew him well enough to recognize the unbudgingly stubbornness that was no doubt visible in his eyes despite his lack of expression. He wanted, _needed_ , to know what was happening and he wanted to hear it from the young woman herself. He wanted the truth and nothing but it, and he wasn’t settling for any less.

“I believe we do” she said “But I would prefer it if we had a more secluded location.”

“Of course. I will put up some wards in my office so we can use it without fear of being overheard” the ancestor said turning slightly towards the direction of the moon dorms. He trusted that she would follow him as he made his way back and was not disappointed, hearing her footsteps next to him but only because she wanted him to. She was skilled enough to not make a sound unless she wanted her presence to be known, something she did ninety-nine percent of the time. How it was possible, Kaname had no idea. He couldn’t understand how anyone could ignore her when she seemed to glow even without needing a source of light, as if the light coming from within her, glowing even in the near darkness of his study as he closed the door behind her before casting the wards that would keep the outside world outside and whatever happened inside between  those four walls, giving them the privacy they needed.

He turned to the vampire in his company, seeing she had taken place at the end of his chaise, sticking out like a sore thumb against the deep red fabric and the dim light of the sinking sun that surrounded her. Her hair was let down, long strands framing her alabaster face and falling off the edge of the couch. Her pale lavender eyes were directed at the window, hiding a tempest despite her poise. Her ethereally pale features were enhanced by the light she had seemed to soak up during her time in the sun, radiating it when night fell. Like the moon gracing the earth in the form of a human, a vampire. In hindsight, he should have known.

The sound of his footsteps drew her attention, her gaze locking onto him as he approached her. The caution in her eyes made him cautious in return, feeling like he needed to approach her like one would a wild animal. His confidence in his own powers and her character was the only thing that allowed him to walk up to her on a normal tempo instead of inching closer careful step by careful step while expecting to be attacked. He knew the silverette wouldn’t attack him without reason, not to mention that even if she did, she wouldn’t carry it through. The existence of the night class was important to the man she was loyal to and Kaname’s presence was essential for the vampires to be here and behave.

“Do you want a drink?” he asked as he moved to the little bar he hid in his desk drawer, one third the size of Zero’s.

“No, thank you. It’s a bit early in the day” she said and Kaname would have agreed with her, if they had been in normal circumstances. At the moment, he needed a drink or three, so he simply took the bottle of cognac and a glass along with him when he moved to sit down next to her. He sat close enough to be able to touch her opposite shoulder with his fingertips if he rested his arm on the back-leaning, but still far off enough to give her space, deciding not to touch her in any way. He could tell she was on edge and he didn’t want to trigger her unnecessarily by sitting closer to her than she could handle at the moment. While they had gotten much more amiable since she entered the night class, their relationship was still fragile and Kaname didn’t want it to break.

“So you are a pureblood” he voiced his suspicions that had seemed impossible only moments ago, resounding as a statement this time. He didn’t even need to question it now that the dots he hadn’t even known to be in his head had connected. However, there were still unasked questions he wanted answers to.

“Indeed, I am” she answered calmly despite the nerves he knew she had. It was barely visible on her but the Kuran king had studied her for years. He could tell when she was nervous.

“How did you keep it hidden?” he asked and the silverette closed her eyes.

“Because of a seal I placed on myself” she responded, using as little words as possible because she knew he was smart enough to figure things out for himself whether she wanted to or not. She didn’t even need to answer the questions he had because he would find out the truth sooner or later, but he appreciated it greatly that she was trusting him enough to give him the answers he wanted without him having to look for them on his own.

“The peach blossom tattoo on your hip” he guessed, though was anything but doubtful. He remembered the little branch with blossoms he had seen on her hip during their summer vacation, the time that had proven to him just how close they had gotten and how easily his sister could wreck the silverette’s good mood. The vacation where it had taken everything in him not to jump her, admiring her curves that had nearly the entire beach tripping over their feet when they caught a glimpse of her, unable to look away until they threatened to dive nose first into the sand. Not only men. Kaname forcefully pushed down the flashes of images that had given him enough material to last him at least ten centuries and had gotten him worked up in public, not wanting a repeat of it when they were talking about a serious subject and the young vampire was opening up to him.

“Each blossom is a layer that I can undo at will. I sealed my powers after I destroyed nearly an entire wing of my mansion after awakening” she said and Kaname refrained from asking for details he could find out later, instead focusing on the more important questions lined up inside his head, waiting to be asked.

“You can’t control your powers?” he asked and Zero released a small scoff as she folded her hands in her lap.

“Better than Yuuki can” she said before shaking her head softly.

“During my time in the mansion, I opened my seal layer by layer to get to know the limits of my powers. It was a lot more than I could learn how to control in such a short period of time and being here while hiding what I am doesn’t exactly lend the opportunity to gain more control” she admitted and Kaname could see her point. The reason why Yuuki wasn’t really gaining control of her powers was not because she couldn’t, but because she didn’t bother to.

“Why would you hide what you are? It doesn’t seem like you hate vampires anymore” the pureblood king pointed out as he looked at her, taking more than just a sip from the small glass in his hand.

“I don’t hate them all, just like I don’t like all humans” she responded calmly.

“Do you hate me? Purebloods, I mean?” he asked, correcting himself as he balked internally at the question that had slipped out. Luckily, Zero seemed to be too pre-occupied with the conversation to notice the true reason why Kaname had asked that first question.

“Not all of them. After awakening, I’ve decided to try and judge on character more than on race or status” she told him, almost sounding like she was making a joke at her own expenses considering how quick to judge she had been before, but she sounded serious.

“Then why do you hide?” he asked as he tilted his head curiously, watching her shoulders sag slightly with a soft sigh.

“Several reasons” she said, looking like she wanted to fall back and slouch in his sofa but refrained.

“For one, my mother was not a huntress, but Hio Shizuka, who was rumored to be mad. The council would lock me up if they knew, which was the last thing my mother wanted. It was the reason why my grandmother gave her life to seal my pureblood side when I was a babe, much like your mother did with Yuuki but then too young to remember anything of being born a vampire. They gave me to my father, to live as a hunter at the mercy of the VHA because it was still better than living like my mother” she said, her words causing the brunet’s blood to cool down in his veins as he remembered what he had done. How he had released Shizuka, knowing how she’d go after the pair that had killed her partner. But if Shizuka was Zero’s mother and this was the truth, what had happened? The way she talked about her parents made it seem like Shizuka had truly loved her beyond anything and had trusted the silverette’s father enough to entrust him with the life of her newborn daughter, weak and defenseless as a mortal. Nobody had even known she had been pregnant since she had never once left that cage after she had entered it.

Then again, how possible was it to hold a pureblood in a place they didn’t want to be.

But then, if she loved her daughter as much as Zero implied, why had she remained in her cage for so long?

“To protect me” the silverette answered the unvoiced question that was visible on his face. Or perhaps she could just guess what he was thinking. He was a little too surprised about the fact that she was Hio Shizuka’s daughter, to control the expressions he showed.

“My mother and father wanted nothing more than to run away, from both the VHA and the vampire council, but with me as a newborn baby, they couldn’t afford the danger of two organizations hunting them. So she went back to her cage while my father did the same, changing the birth-certificate of my half-brothers so I replaced the fragment of the twins that had died during childbirth” she said, looking at her hands as if she was looking at the distance, her normally sharp eyes losing their focus.

“When you released my mother, she came straight to us, having send the man she had changed into an E as messenger to relay the fact that she would soon escape. My father was packed and ready to go, intending to take me with them and awaken me when he joined up with mother” she said, revealing that Kaname had been played by the madly blooming princess who had known what he had been planning. Maybe not specifically, but enough to make use of it for her own gain. Yet he couldn’t be mad about it.

“But things didn’t go as planned, obviously. My stepmother found out about dad’s plan to leave with me, believing we were blood-related mother and daughter, and she followed her orders that told her to stop dad from ever betraying the association at any cost” she said, her voice sounding just as distant as her gaze.

“She was a spell master, a genius even among hunters. It was the reason why she had been chosen as a wife for my father. With the spells she had placed on him, she managed to take him out when mother arrived. She tried to awaken me and take me with her but she got no further than biting me and wasn’t able to finish the process before Ichiru informed her the hunters my stepmother had alerted had arrived. She had no choice but to run and leave me behind, going into hiding with my brother” she said, answering half of the pureblood king’s questions without him even needing to ask them, her eyes regaining focus as she blinked.

“She infiltrated the academy as Maria to complete the awakening before she allowed herself to be killed” she said, ending her story with words that added to Kaname’s guilt even when they hadn’t sounded accusing. Kaname had known there had been something off about Shizuka’s death. She hadn’t resisted in the slightest when he had drained her and had felt at peace, almost as if she had been waiting for him. When he had ingested her blood, he had noticed the blank spots in her memory but had brushed it off, blaming it on the gun-shots she had received from the perfect. However, he should have known better, since even an anti-vampire weapon wasn’t capable of erasing memories or creating a lapse in them. Shizuka had done it herself, to keep Zero’s identity hidden from him, and he hadn’t even thought much about the silverette’s disappearance because he had been too busy with his sister.

“And my father” she started but the older man cut her off. She didn’t have to go through a whole explanation again. She had already said more than he had expected her to and forcing her to say even more would be cruel.

“Belonged to the moon clan, right?” he guessed, gaining her attention as he started talking.

“The moon clan, who were known for their proficiency with hidden weapons, was a tribe of vampires and humans. Anyone who wanted to remain out of the pre-apocalyptic war between the races gathered there under the rule of four village leaders who each lead their own part of the tribe, only one of them a pureblood. Not much is known of them and the vampire council has always believed their pureblood line had died out and humanified over the ages. It appears it is not so” he said as he looked at the silverette next to him.

“I’m a bit frustrated to admit that I didn’t make the connection sooner, even though I should have” he said before bravely and mindlessly reaching out to take a lock of silver hair between his fingers, the strands soft enough to slide through his grasp like it was fluid despite resembling spider silk, yet he held on to appreciate the feeling. Zero looked away from his eyes to her hair that was caught in between his digits.

“After all, I have met quite a few albinos in my life-time, but only one with lavender eyes” he told her before looking back up at the hunt- no, princess’s pale orbs.

“Daughter of the moon, you have no need to fear the council because they are no more. Nobody will lock you up, so there is no need to remain hidden” he said, absentmindedly tucking her hair behind her ear before it could fall in front of her face and take away his sight of her. She flinched at the unexpected touch but didn’t show any sign of aversion or pulling away, allowing him to do what he wanted as his body moved unconsciously.

“You can release the seal” he assured her, seeing the hesitation that instantly entered her eyes as he lowered his hand, brushing along the long strands with the back of his fingers.

“Besides, everyone already knows about it since they smelled your blood” he reminded her, adding a bit of a challenge to his tone, knowing it would provoke her enough to make her decision. His prediction was right, hearing her scoff as the corner of her lips tugged up into a smirk while she turned her profile towards him again.

“Who says I’m afraid? I just didn’t want to get involved in the world that locked my mother up like she was some sort of animal just because she wasn’t exactly the sanest of the bunch. Not like there is one pureblood out there who _is_ sane, but that’s none of my business though” she said before closing her eyes. He could feel her aura as it was slowly released, brushing over him like a featherlight caress. He frowned in confusion, wondering if this was it, when what he presumed what was the first layer of the seal broke. Instantly, the featherlight caress turned into a prickling that quickly grew as more and more aura was released, becoming visible in the form of a fog that was thick enough to take away his sight. Kaname was afraid of breathing, the mist dense enough to suffocate him, making it impossible to even see the couch despite that he was sitting on it.

It didn’t take long, though. Before he could even say anything or worry for his room that might crumble under the pressure of her aura like she had said had destroyed an entire wing of a mansion, the fog started to dissipate. It didn’t flow outside nor did it get sucked into the silverette. It just disappeared into nothingness in the same way it had appeared, his vision clearing more and more with each blink. The sight of the trees outside of his window was more vibrant than it had been seconds before, blossoms standing in full bloom despite the time of the year. Even the flowers on his desk that Yuuki had bought him a few days ago in an attempt to brighten up his office, had returned to their former glory, even bigger and brighter than when his sister had arrived with them, as if they were trying to please and impress the person who had given them a second chance at life.

Maybe he should try and water them this time.

“Sorry, that tends to happen” Zero said, drawing his attention away from the roses as he looked at her. She had her aura back in control, though it was impossible to ignore the fact that everything about it screamed pureblood.

“You have the signature powers of both your families. That’s impressive and understandably hard to control” he said, remembering how hard it had been for him to control his own powers when they had fully unlocked.

“You seem to know quite a bit about the moon clan despite that they are no longer in existence and that there are extremely little records of them” the princess said and Kaname looked up at her, taking in her suspicion. Of course she was suspicious. Who wouldn’t be, when the moon clan had lived such a secret existence to the point the current generation knew nothing about it. Not even the previous generation knew that they had truly existed beyond the bedtime stories they were told as children. She had parted with her information easier than he had expected her to and he didn’t want her to think he was going to manipulate her again. He had no intention of doing so and he wanted her to know this. Perhaps sharing a bit of his own information would earn a little of her trust and pacify her worries about his intentions with what she had told him.

“I met your ancestor once, Kiryuu Rei. She was the East village chief” Kaname said and Zero hummed.

“Dad spoke of her often. She was his grandmother” she revealed, earning a raised eyebrow.

“She was? How old was your father?” he asked and the silverette shrugged, managing to make the gesture look elegant.

“The VHA records stopped keeping count after five-thousand” she said carelessly and the brunet hummed in understanding. He himself had stopped counting the years that passed after he hit three-thousand.

“You don’t seem surprised” he said and the silverette looked up from the hand she was opening and closing, as if to reacquaint herself with her body after releasing her seal.

“Because I’m not. Not really” she told him and he turned towards her, resting his elbow on the back-leaning so he could support his jaw with a loosely closed fist.

“Why is that?” he asked curiously, watching her spine relax until she was leaning back into the chaise.

“Mother had a feeling about you that I read in her blood and that I have to admit that I agree with” she said and he raised an eyebrow, trying his hardest not to look at the bared skin of her thighs that was bared when she crossed her legs or the collar of her kimono that was crossed way too low to be traditional.

“Oh? And that is?” he asked, lavender orbs rising to meet his gaze.

“An old soul trapped in the body of a child” she said and the pureblood king mulled over the words before moving his head in a resigned manner, unable to deny those words. They pretty much hit the nail on the head. The silverette snorted amused.

“Besides, you literally told Ichiru you’re the Kuran ancestor” she told him, though there was a hint of pain that flashed through her eyes. Kaname thought back at the moments where he had spoken with the princess’s brother, though he had to riffle deep through his memories to remember something that had been so insignificant at the time. Especially compared to what he had done just before.

“Ah, yes. That I did” he said with a nod of his head, looking up when the door rattled, as if someone was pulling on the handle with enough power to push past the initial effects of the wards he had put up. There was only one person who could do so.

“That would be my cue” Zero said as she moved to stand up, the older pureblood squashing the disappointment that crept up on him. Instead, he stood up to walk her to the door in order to undo the wards that would allow her outside, placing his hand on the thick wood and feeling the power vibrate underneath his palm as he started undoing it. He waited long enough to confuse the silverette into looking up at him in question, her hand already positioned on the doorknob.

“Kiryuu, I would like it if we could keep this between us. Besides those who are dead, only Takuma and now you know about who I am. Not even Yuuki knows and I would like for it to stay that way” he said as he looked at her, his voice calm and even without sounding like he was ordering her to remain silent. The young pureblood scoffed as she raised an eyebrow at him as if trying to ask him if he remembered who he was talking to.

“What? Are we sharing secrets now?” she asked, wryly amused and only slightly insulted that he would think of her as someone who would spread secrets that weren’t hers to talk about. Kaname allowed a miniscule smile to grace his lips as he shifted his weight away from the door.

“Perhaps we should upgrade our relationship to calling each other by our first names, Zero?” he suggested, reveling in the way her name rolled off his lips and pretending it didn’t send a shiver down his spine as she responded to his smile in kind while she pulled the door open.

“In your dreams, Kuran” she answered with no idea how right she was about that, earning a little snort from the older man before they turned their attention to Yuuki staring at them with wide eyes. Or at least he did. Zero brushed past her without even giving her a single glance, letting her gaze pass over the smaller princess as if she wasn’t even there. The youngest pureblood gave her retreating back a pained look before she stepped inside the room, turning her attention to her older brother instead.

“What were you two talking about?” she asked and Kaname patted her head with a soft smile.

“Nothing important” he told her.

 

***~*~*~*~*~***

 

The scent of human blood penetrated the air, making Zero look up from the book in her hand. Aidou, who was hanging out on her couch, did the same, though it took a second longer before the scent reached him as well, making him push up onto his knees.

“That is- who?” he asked, as if the silverette had the answer to everything. Obviously, she hadn’t, frowning as she placed her bookmark in between her pages before setting her book aside.

“I don’t know. Let’s check it out” she said as she pushed up to her feet, the blonde needing no more prompting to do the same. As they left her dorm room, they were met by several students on the hallway whose curiosity had been piqued by the scent in the air, turning to look at her for answers.

“Get back in your rooms and stay there. We’ll be back with more information later. Anyone I see out of their rooms will be noted for later punishment” she warned them as she walked past, sending them back into their rooms. At the stairs, she was met by Kaname who had done the same thing on his end of the hallway before waiting for her, no doubt knowing she would check out the situation as well. Night class or not, she was still a perfect. Aidou just tagged along because his curiosity was going to kill him one day but neither of the two purebloods said anything to stop him for coming with, knowing it was better than him investigating things on his own and getting in trouble.

“Do you recognize the scent?” Kaname asked as they stepped outside the dorm building, going straight for the gates on a quick pace that could barely be called walking but was not yet running.

“Vaguely. I know I’ve smelled it before but I don’t know who it is” she answered, freezing when a second scent was carried towards them, this time one they all recognized. Kaname didn’t say a word as his body separated into countless bats next to the two younger vampires, though Zero followed only half a second later in a flurry of peach blossoms that were carried off by an imaginary gust of wind. She re-manifested in between the trees around the sources of the scent, right next to Kaname. Their appearance caused one of the two figures to look up at them with a stuttering breath.

“Kaname-onii-sama, Zero” the Kuran princess whined with tears streaming down her cheeks and panic written all over her face, looking weak and desperate for help. However, Zero’s attention was more on the source of the first scent of blood that was partially covered by Yuuki’s body that was draped over it, supported by her hands on each side of the figure and the blood that dripped from the pureblood’s chin. The same blood that was found pouring from the wounds on the figure’s torso and the puncture marks in her neck, tainting her skin up to her ear and cheek. The Hio princess recognized that caramel mop of hair, her body moving to cross that short distance.

“Wakaba!” she breathed as she kneeled next to the rose-blonde teen, Yuuki backing away frightened. She should be.

“S-she was attacked” the brunette told her brother and her former sister shakily as Zero reached out to feel the human’s neck, nausea swirling in her stomach as she could feel only a faint trace of a heartbeat.

“There was an E. One of those with daggers who attacked Zero last time” Yuuki said, drawing the attention to the daggers that were piled up on the ground a little further from them. Lavender eyes narrow at the weapons, before turning her attention to the gashes that lithered Sayori’s torso, ignoring her own reaction to the blood as she studied them, matching the wounds to the weapons while Kaname crouched down next to his fiancée with a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down.

“I-I didn’t know what to do. That E attacked Yori and I wasn’t on time to stop him. I tried to, but Artemis rejected me and I can’t control my powers yet” she sobbed, her shoulders shaking with the force of them while she dug her fingers into the ground, hanging her head in helplessness and guilt as Aidou burst onto the scene. His arrival went ignored by the two Kurans but not by Zero who beckoned him over wordlessly.

“I managed to take out the E eventually, but it was too late. Yori was already in this state and I didn’t know what to do” Yuuki cried as Aidou kneeled down on Sayori’s other side, swallowing thickly at the sight of her blood that caused his eyes to glow.

“You can do it” Zero said softly, seeing the hesitation in the blonde’s eyes that rose up to meet her own glowing eyes. “Put pressure on the wounds. We need to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible.”

“I didn’t want her to die. I wouldn’t be able to live on if Yori died because I wasn’t strong enough to protect her. I couldn’t stop the bleeding so I bit her before giving her my blood” the Kuran princess said before looking up at her brother.

“I know I am not supposed to change her. That it’s not allowed. But I couldn’t let her die. I had to do something. I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! If only I was more like Zero! If only I was stronger” she cried, her voice and words grating on the silverette’s nerves.

“Kuran, get her to her room and don’t let her enter my sight if you don’t want me to kill her. We'll take care of Wakaba” she growled out, sliding her arm underneath the rose-blonde’s back and knee pits to lift her off the ground. Aidou got to his feet as well, adjusting the shirt he had pulled off to soak up the blood leaving the human’s wounds.

“I will join you at the infirmary once Yuuki has calmed down” Kaname told her, taking no offence at Zero’s threat as he helped his fiancée to her feet, supporting her when she threatened to buckle through her knees. The silverette turned her back on them, unable to watch the scene without losing control of her anger. Aidou followed after her, silently and worriedly, as they rushed to the infirmary in the school building. She deposited the unconscious mortal on top of one of the beds, careful about every move she made not to aggravate the still bleeding wounds. The aristocrat gulped and turned his face away when Zero removed his shirt from on top of her and started shedding the rose-blonde’s upper clothing, gently pulling the fabric out of the gashes. Luckily, Sayori was still unconscious and couldn’t feel any of it.

Once the younger girl’s torso was bared, she could get a decent look at the gashes that were on display, cleaning away the blood with lukewarm water and antiseptic. When the gashes were the only thing visible, still languidly pushing out blood, Zero could tell they were slowly healing, confirming what Yuuki had said before. She had changed the teen and now she was transitioning into a vampire. Zero could only hope the brunette had been telling the truth about having given Sayori her blood as well. She would hate for the polite girl to have to go through bouts of bloodlust that threatened to rob her of her sanity.

“Busa, bring me the suture kit. She’s healing too slowly and the gashes are too large to leave like this” she said and the blonde turned to the medical cabinet, eager to do something other than standing around and twiddling with his thumbs. He pulled a cart up on the silverette’s side of the bed, moving the tray until it was suspended over the former human’s legs before taking place on the other side of the bed. The two of them pulled on a pair of gloves before setting to work with stitching up the gashes. There were four of them in total, but they were large enough to cover nearly her entire torso. Zero would have praised the blonde for his professionality if she hadn’t been so caught up by her own thoughts.

“A penny for your thoughts?” he asked, breaking the silence that had fallen while they worked quick and efficiently. The Hio princess looked up at him before turning her attention back to the girl in between them. She hesitated to answer, not knowing if she should voice her suspicions or not and deciding to do so when she remembered Yuuki wasn’t exactly Aidou’s most favorite person, not to mention that she could trust him.

“I think Yuuki was the one who did this” she admitted, seeing his hands freeze just when he was about to push the curled needle through the skin he had pinched together.

“What? Wakaba is Yuuki’s best friend” he said, as if that wasn’t common knowledge. Zero gritted her teeth, her aura threatening to lash out but she held it back.

“I know, but I couldn't sense any Es around, nor any traces of them. There was no ash left behind and there hadn’t been any wind to carry it away before we arrived there. There were only four daggers, which is not even half of a set. I don’t even walk around with just four daggers on a day off” she said, feeling the aristocrat’s gaze on her while she kept hers glued on her hands, forcing them to continue.

“Not to mention that Wakaba knows about vampires. She doesn’t go outside after twilight because of it. Not unless she is called out” she told him before looking up at him.

“And do you really think that any vampire would be weak enough to stagger right after drinking blood?” she asked, knowing that no matter how much shock you were in, feeding gave such a rush and such power that it made it impossible to be physically weak. Aidou knew this as well, the dots almost visibly connecting in his mind as his expression turned from shock to anger.

“We have to inform Kaname-sama immediately” he said, moving to stand up but stopped by Zero’s fingers curling around his hand.

“No, we don’t. We can’t” she said, earning a glare from the blonde.

“What the hell do you mean, we can’t?” he asked harshly, trying to pull his hand from her tightening grip without any success.

“Say we tell him, and then what? We don’t have any proof. We have nothing but my suspicions. And between the distraught sister and fiancée of the head of the council, the representative of the entire vampire race, and the daughter of a pureblood who was known to be mad and a pureblood who was a traitor to his own race by living as a hunter, who do you think they will believe?” she asked and heard the gnashing of his teeth.

“But you- fuck” he said, cursing when he knew she was right. They couldn’t just accuse one of the most prominent figures in their society without proof.

“What’s going on here? I saw blood leading here” a voice spoke up in the door-opening as the door swung open, causing the two vampires to look up at the entrance of the young hunter.

“Kaito” Zero said as the brunet walked inside, closing the door behind him as he looked away from the silverette to the rose-blonde on the bed.

“Who did it?” he asked, his anger much more audible in his voice than it was visible on his face. The Hio princess hadn’t doubted even for a second that her former fellow student would immediately sense the change the teen was undergoing.

“Yuuki” she responded, standing up to allow Aidou to cover up the stitched-up wounds before pulling up the covers to Sayori’s chin while Zero retold the story of what happened without leaving out her suspicions. With every word that left her lips, her anger returned, making her pace up and down in front of the bed as she fisted her hands, her aura causing a crack to appear in the window of the medicine cabinet. She tensed when Kaito stepped up in front of her, stopping her in her tracks to allow him to wrap his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest.

“Alright, that’s enough” he said, both of them ignoring the blonde’s reaction to the sudden display of physical contact that the silverette didn’t reject.

“You need to stop blaming yourself. This is not your fault” he told her and Zero gritted her teeth.

“But what if it is?” she asked as she let the side of her head rest against his, her arms coming up to wrap around his middle in return, feeling one of his arms lower from her shoulders to her waist.

“Did you bite Wakaba Sayori? Did you hold that bitch at gun-point and force her to bite that little girl? Did you suggest that she should do anything like this? If the answer is yes or maybe, I’ll shoot you” he said and the younger woman clicked with her tongue.

“Of course I didn’t” she snapped at him and he scoffed.

“You bet your ass you didn’t, so you are not responsible for this little girl’s transition and if I hear you blaming yourself for it again, I’m kicking that pretty little ass of yours. Got it?” he asked as he tilted his head back, forcing her to look at him and meet his gaze to make sure she saw he was serious and to see for himself that she believed him. She huffed at him, feeling a little lighter in her chest knowing that he didn’t even once suspect her for Sayori’s change or think she was involved.

“Alright, alright. No need to embarrass yourself trying to beat me in hand-to-hand” she said and Kaito scoffed, his second hand joining his other at her waist, entwining his fingers behind her lower back while she rested her hands on his sides.

“If we’d be having a shoot-out, you would have no chance of beating me” he said, looking up as someone cleared his throat in the door-opening, their attention turning to the stone-faced pureblood king.

“How is she?” Kaname asked without even looking at the person he was talking about in such a cold tone, his gaze not straying from the arms trapping the silverette against the hunter’s chest.

“Still unconscious” Aidou said as Zero removed herself from Kaito’s grip, feeling strangely self-conscious under the brunet’s attention, keeping her gaze on Sayori as she walked over to the side of her bed.

“Four gashes across her torso. They were healing too slowly so we sewed them shut. She will probably have scars from them” she said, not bothering to ask how Yuuki was doing. She was no doubt perfectly fine, not even bothering to visit her so-called best friend. Zero knew Kaname wouldn’t be a deny his sister if she had asked to see the rose-blonde. The fact that she wasn’t here and her brother wasn’t trying to convince her to let the brunette see her friend, said enough. A hand landed on her shoulder, giving a soft squeeze to draw her attention away from her anger.

“Calm down. Your aura will destroy the room” Kaito spoke up close to her ear, reminding her to keep a tight control on her aura as she allowed herself to be pulled into his lap when he sat down in the chair next to the bed, his arms wrapping around her waist once more. There was a little spark of another pureblood’s aura, drawing the attention to a very displeased Kaname. Zero heard Kaito snort in her ear as he rested his chin on her shoulder. When she frowned at him, asking him an unspoken question, he brushed it off with a shake of his head, clearly amused about something she didn’t get.

“I will wait here until she wakes to ask her what happened” the Kuran king said, remaining unmoving like a statue at the foot-end of the bed the rose-blonde former human. He tried to keep his eyes on the young girl, but his gaze always seemed to shift back to the silverette who felt a little uncomfortable under his attention, though she wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as Aidou was. Luckily, a distraction presented itself soon enough in the form of a soft whimper that changed into a pained groan. Zero jumped up to stand right next to the bed, her hand automatically finding their place in the rose-blonde mop of hair, her fingers gently combing through the strands to coax the teen further into the world of the living.

“Wakaba. Hey, wake up” she said softly, not wanting the startle the former human. It seemed to work, hazel eyes blinking open carefully, flinching at the brightness of the light. With a little push of her mind, the room was doused in a dim darkness, lit up by the last rays of twilight.

“How are you feeling?” the silverette asked, continuing to comb her fingers through the younger girl’s short hair, hoping it would calm her down.

“I- I’m thirsty. My throat hurts, and so does my stomach and chest. What happened?” she asked, her voice sounding as if it was forced past sandpaper, her eyes squeezing shut in pain but her furrowed brow smoothed out soon enough.

“We wanted to ask you the same. Do you remember what happened?” Zero asked, seeing hazel eyes open once more, looking up at the ceiling as she thought back, trying to remember what happened. The events that transpired before seemed to return to her as her eyes widened in fear, shooting over from Kaname to the silverette, her mouth parting without any words coming out. She continued to try and convey what she had remembered, releasing no more than sound that were both terrified and angry, reach up to her throat the harder she tried, her fingers digging into her skin. Four pairs of eyes watched as nails dug deep enough to draw blood, dragging down to leave deep scratches. Both Aidou and Zero immediately grabbed her wrists to pull her hands away, stopping her from doing any more damage she was inflicting upon herself without wanting to, if the frightened look in her eyes was something to go by.

“I-I can’t say it. I’m sorry. I tried to, but I can’t” she said, coughing when she accidentally spoke louder than her throat could handle at the moment. Aidou immediately moved to retrieve a glass of water while Zero send the distressed rose-blonde a gentle smile.

“It’s alright. No need to force yourself. I can put the pieces together myself. Just calm down” she assured the smaller girl before adjusting the subject.

“Do you know what is happening to you now?” she asked, waiting until she had taken a sip of the offered water before answering.

“I am changing into a vampire, aren’t I?” she guessed and silverette lost the chance to answer when Kaname spoke up.

“Yes. I will explain everything to you and answer any question you have as soon as you’ve rested. I will prepare your transfer to the night class. Yuuki suggested to have you room up with Zero, since you know her better than the other students and would feel more comfortable with her. Is that alright with you?” he asked and the Hio princess frowned at him, suspicious about the suggestion Yuuki had made especially after what had happened. Was that the reason why she had changed Sayori? Because she wanted them to room up? No, that would be ridiculous. She had no reason to do something like that. She had no reason at all to change her best friend, yet she had still done it. But why? Why would she do something like this to someone she considers a friend? Had she created a peon out of her best friend?

“It’s fine. Put her in my room. I’ll take care of her” Zero said, holding Sayori’s gaze in the hope it would assure her that she wasn’t alone. It didn’t matter for what reason she had been changed, the silverette would not allow the teen to feel like she was on her own.


	13. Mammoth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

Kaname stepped outside of the building where the newly formed council had held its first meeting after all its members had been assembled. It had taken a while before he had been satisfied with the people he had picked, but it had proven to be the right decision. He had taken his time to screen every single member to make sure of their nature and their intentions, and it had paid off because he had a much better feeling about the current council than he had ever had about the previous one. However, he wasn’t cheering prematurely because he knew better than anyone how time changed people and he couldn’t predict the future. He could only hope the newly formed council continued to value peace over power. He didn’t feel like cleaning up another council but would he would do so if needed. 

The sound of sniffling drew his attention to a small figure in the alley he had planned on walking past, stopping instead. A young girl, looking no older than five, was sitting hunched in the middle of the alley, in the dim shadows between the light that was casted into the small street by the street-lights on each side of it. The dog sitting next to her was bigger than she was, allowing her to lean into its side. Black beady eyes watched him intently as he approached the little mortal, shining with more intelligence than Kaname had expected to see. Regal was the first word that popped up into his mind when he tried to describe the animal, its long head held high and proud. Its body was slender, almost bordering on malnourished, but it looked like the picture of health. Its cream-colored coat shone beautifully, well taken care of and flowing over into white, matching the wavy feathering on its ears, legs and tail.  

The aristocratic animal watched him like a hawk as he crouched down in front of the young girl who flinched as his shadow fell over her, burrowing deeper into the dog’s side, as if the animal that looked like it could be blown away by the first best breeze would be able to protect her from a predator like the pureblood king. Most animals were too wary of vampires to approach them, but this one was brave enough to growl at him in warning. 

“Hello there, little girl” Kaname said, keeping a careful eye on the dog and making no move to touch either of them, lest he triggered the animal’s aggression. 

“Where are your parents?” he inquired, seeing hazel eyes peek at him from between large blonde barrel curls. The pureblood smiled in the hope it would disarm the little girl into answering his questions without feeling threatened by his big appearance, knowing that his height and his lack of facial expressions tended to intimidate children. Adults too, but that was beside the point. He must have done something right, for the child lifted her head slightly. 

“At the fair” she answered in a voice Kaname was sure he wouldn’t have caught if it hadn’t been for his vampiric hearing. There was a fair? He hadn’t been aware. He had expected Yuuki to mention it, maybe try to get him to go on a date with her despite being grounded. 

“Then what are you doing here? Did you get lost?” he asked but was distracted by the sound of wildly rustling clothes, looking up to see a blur of black and silver drop down from the rooftop, landing in a crouch in the alley with a thud that was extremely quiet considering how high the buildings forming the alley were. The Kuran ancestor didn’t even need to see a face to recognize those longs strands of spider silk that were tied up into a ponytail, his heart skipping a beat as lavender eyes locked with his. 

“She was taken by a level E” Zero said as she straightened up, brushing the ash off her shoulder while the dog stood up, trotting light-footedly towards the young pureblood with an elegant gait that could be called nothing but graceful. It was almost as if the dog was the animal-version of the Hio princess who patted the canine’s head while she walked towards the progenitor and the child. 

“Another one was waiting a little further to take her away” she added, giving the older man no more than a glance before turning her worried gaze back to the child. 

“I am assuming they are no more” Kaname said, keeping his attention on her, the pale grey ash on her back not escaping his notice. 

“You assumed right” she confirmed as she reached out to pat the child’s head in the same way she had touched the dog at her side, freezing when the blonde flinched away. She exhaled curtly through her nose as her expression softened into a smile while she crouched down next to the brunet, letting her hand come down on top of her head regardless of the initial reaction the gesture had received. 

“Come now, I know I’m scary, but I won’t hurt you. I’ll bring you back to your parents” she said, holding her arms open in an invitation, one that was eagerly accepted. Zero had more success in disarming the child, but that didn’t surprise Kaname in the least. He could only see her smile from the side, but knew that it must have melted the heart of anyone who had ever laid eyes on it. He followed her example as she rose up to her feet again, shifting the child until she was sitting on her arm, lifted high enough to allow the blonde to wrap her little arms around her tattooed neck. 

“Were they carrying?” the older pureblood asked curiously, making sure to keep his voice low enough so the child couldn’t hear them. The silverette gave a short hum as they turned to leave the alley, a cold scowl replacing her earlier smile as she remembered what had led to their coincidental meeting. 

“Yeah. Not much, but they were. I think they have different jobs. Those who attack and those who… recruit. The ones I ran into weren’t nearly as skilled as the ones I faced before. It was like they were carrying weapons for show” she told him in a voice that was no louder than his and the brunet frowned. 

“You went looking for them on your own?” he asked and she shook her head negative. 

“No, I was on a hunt. I had just finished and was about to go home when I saw that guy take that girl away. He dropped her as soon as he saw me and took off” she said and the ancestor looked away from her at the road in front of them. 

“That’s the opposite of what they’ve been doing up until now” he said before his frown deepened. 

“But why would they target a child? She cannot be trained to fight like adults” he said and Zero looked up at him, her expression blank yet strangely open. 

“There are things only a child can do, Kuran. At this age, everyone underestimates them like you just did, which makes them perfect for assassinations. I was three when I started playing with daggers and five when I learned how to kill someone with a ballpoint pen” she told him and for some reason, Kaname was not surprised. It was morbid and shouldn’t be necessary, but he was not surprised. He had been told that children of masters in the moon clan were taught the art from a very young age and considering how closely related Zero’s father was to the Kiryuu ancestor, it was only natural that she too would start learning the art early on in life. It was how masters were created. It was how weapons were created. 

It was something Kaname had selfishly made use of even when he had always thought children shouldn’t be turned into killers. That children were supposed to be protected and not trained. That they were supposed to play around and not learn how to kill in the most efficient way. That they were supposed to be free of worry and care, and not hardened mentally to be able to carry the sin of dirtying their hands. It was one of the reasons he had never liked the moon clan. The idea that his sister would have been raised the same way, as a walking, breathing machine of mass-murder, made his stomach turn. Yet he had used Zero like a pawn, calling her his knight, as if that would make it better. As if it would make using her as assassin acceptable.  

“However, I don’t think they were kidnapping her to train her” the Hio princess said, drawing the brunet out of his guilt-inducing thoughts. 

“She might have been their food-source” she added another thing Kaname didn’t want to think about. The Kuran pair’s true son had been sacrificed to revive him from his slumber, something he still felt bad about. Especially when he had always considered the lives of children precious and a miracle of life. There was something pure about children that made him believe it was impossible for something as jaded as humans and vampires to create them. Of course, they didn’t remain pure and naïve, but he was firmly of the believe that it was the job of the older generation to make sure they did not become as tainted as they were. 

“It could be possible that it was just a one-time thing, that the former human had picked her out on personal taste, but I don’t think we should take a chance on it. It would be best to warn the human government about the possibility of children being targeted” he said and Zero hummed in agreement. 

“I was already planning on it. Perhaps suggest a curfew for pre-teens and teens who can only go out in groups, and have children always under supervision when they leave the house” she said before inhaling deeply. 

“They will not take it well to be told what to do. They are envious of vampires and refuse to be seen as the weaker race by obeying them mindlessly, and blame hunters for what their ancestors have done and will tell them to do their job better” she said and Kaname nearly scoffed. What was new? Humans had always been this way, wanting what they can’t have and putting the blame on others when they could have done something to prevent casualties. They always believed themselves to be right and refused to listen to reason once their mind was made up. 

“Perhaps you should show them the amount of missing person cases the police passed to the hunters” he suggested and she hummed. 

“Perhaps. The number is exceeding two-hundred already” she said and Kaname blinked in surprise. The number was higher than he had expected. 

“More than two hundred?” he repeated questioningly and the silverette looked up at him. 

“Not only in this area. They go to other towns as well, but the modus operandi is the same” she said before sighing softly with a shake of her head. 

“We can probably assume that not all of them were turned, but it’s still a shitload” she said, their attention turning to the little girl that threatened to fall off the princess’s arm in her attempt to reach for the dog trotting next to the silverette. Both of them reached out to catch her before she could topple down, her hand trapped below his own. He was a bit surprised to feel that her hand, though just as slender as his, was a little smaller in size. It wasn’t by much and her hand was still long enough to cover her face, but his hand was a little bigger than hers. A little paler as well. He wasn’t quite sure why this knowledge made his chest warm up a little. 

“Miss? What’s her name?” the little girl asked as she looked at the silverette, mentioning the animal at her side. 

“Her name? I wonder” Zero responded as they helped the blonde sit up straight again, waiting for her arms to wrap around her neck once more before they pulled their hands back, away from each other. 

“Wonder? That’s a pretty name” the young mortal exclaimed with a bright smile, as if she had forgotten all about her traumatic encounter with former humans. 

“I wasn’t aware you owned a dog? What breed is she?” Kaname asked and the Hio princess looked up at him again. 

“A saluki. And it’s not exactly a dog” she said with a meaningful look that Kaname had no trouble understanding. 

“No wonder it is so similar to you” he said, turning his attention to the being he now recognized as her familiar. Zero rolled with her eyes, turning her attention to the young child once more to keep her entertained as they continued to walk towards the bright lights at the bottom of the declining main street. It wasn’t hard to find the girl’s parents, seeing a couple latch onto a policeman before they had even reached the bottom of the street. 

“Mama! Papa!” the little child called out, drawing the attention of the three humans. Zero needed no more prompting to place the young mortal on the ground, allowing her to run up to her parents who pulled her towards them with bright smiles, open arms and teary eyes. The two purebloods smiled a small smile at the scene, though it did not need to be a grin to be genuine. Kaname allowed the young woman to handle the policeman’s questions, his attention drifting towards the lights that were too bright for his eyes to handle but that he couldn’t look away from. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gone to a fair. In fact, he couldn’t remember  _ever_  going to a fair. Nothing he recalled from his pre-apocalypse memories had even been this bright, this lively. There was music, loud and chaotic considering every stall was playing something different. Not to mention the amount of people that added to that noise with their less than quiet conversations.  

Children who had managed to convince their parents to push back their bedtime were running around, screaming happily with more energy than they could spare. Teenagers were hanging out in groups, some pretending to be children, others pretending to be older than they truly were by acting tough, but there was no hiding the sparkle in their eyes nor the enthusiasm they seemed to be vibrating with. Some of the adults were well past drunk, others were too busy looking after their rowdy children and the few lucky ones were having fun without care, for once forgetting about the troubles of their daily lives as they enjoyed themselves with whatever the fair had to offer. 

“You want to go?” Zero asked, her voice coming from far as Kaname blinked, reigning back his wandering mind to focus on the silverette looking up at him. The three humans and the little girl seemed to be long gone and the young pureblood had turned her back towards the fair, giving the older man all her attention. 

“What?” he asked, watching an elegant eyebrow rise up smoothly. 

“It’s written all over your face, Kuran. You want to go?” she repeated her question and Kaname didn’t even need her to jerk her thumb over her shoulder to know what she was getting at. He didn’t even need to think about his answer either. 

“Yes” he said, not even bothering to down-play his curiosity. She had already told him that it was written all over his face, so why would he waste his energy? The princess didn’t laugh at him, didn’t even scoff, as she turned around towards the fair, walking towards it as she pushed her hands into the pockets of her black trench-coat, her familiar already gone. Kaname fell in step next to her, noticing that she was walking slower than she usually did, which allowed him to take his time looking around. He wasn’t surprised about the fact that she was considerate like this, he had known this all along, but he had never expected for her to offer the same consideration to him. He was touched by it, though, and didn’t mind it in the slightest. 

“Your first time?” Zero asked after a little while of silence where they just walked, taking in the energy of the fair. Kaname looked at her before answering with a nod. 

“If you’re curious about something, just ask. If you want to try an attraction, I’ll warn you that it will be unimpressive compared to everything we can do, but don’t hold back” she told him and the progenitor looked away from her, his eyes finding an attraction that was drawing a lot of attention a little further. 

“I wonder if it is only for children” he said, drawing his companion’s attention to the circular attraction that had several large teacups attached onto a turning platform. Zero looked past him before taking her hands out of her pockets. 

“All ages. You want to try it?” she asked as she looked up at him from the corner of her eyes, needing to do so in order to catch the tiny nod the brunet gave. 

“I’ll get the tickets” she said, moving to the small cabin standing at the side of the attraction, reaching into the back-pocket of her black jeans that were tucked into combat boots. It didn’t take long before she beckoned him over to where she stood, leaning back on the pink-painted balustrade that surrounded the heightened platform in between the attraction and the ground. Kaname joined her, accepting the glossy piece of paper as they waited for the attraction to stop. 

“I have to warn you, though. I might break it again” Zero said as they stepped into a blue-painted cup, their knees knocking into the base of the wheel in the middle of the cup and into each other when they tried to adjust their long limbs to fit into the limited space. 

“Again? You broke it before then?” Kaname asked and the silverette glanced up at him shortly. 

“Not this one, but in the past, yeah. Me, Ichiru and Kaito. Though it was mostly me and Kaito” she said, her words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He really didn’t like being reminded of how close the silverette was with the older hunter. He had known they had a bond as former siblings-in-arms, training under the same teacher, but he had not expected them to be close to the extent of physical contact. Kaname had always believed the Hio princess to be averse to physical contact, what with how standoffish she was, her aura always telling others to stay away from her. However, when he had walked in on them at the infirmary, staying away from her had been the last thing the hunter had done.  

He had hugged her, held her, had her on his lap with his arms around her. She had not rejected any of his touches and had even looked comfortable being so close to him, his hands on her body. And he had been so smug about it. Kaname had nearly smacked his head off his shoulders. If he had been any less in control of his actions, he would have allowed his jealousy to take over his rational mind. He was sure Zero wouldn’t appreciate him killing the older hunter, not to mention that it would undo every bit of progress they had made towards peace after Rido’s attack. But that didn’t mean that the hunter had to look so damned pleased with himself, showing off how close he was to the silverette, a closeness he would never achieve with her. 

He needed to stop being so jealous. Zero was not his and he had no right to feel so possessive of her. Yet as he looked at her sitting across from him, he knew he could not stop himself from wanting to have her all to himself. She was just too beautiful for her own good and old as he may be, was just a man. 

“You’re supposed to turn the wheel, idiot. I’m not going to do everything on my own” the silverette warned as her lavender eyes rose up to meet his gaze, her hands on the mentioned wheel. Pretending not to have been distracted by her appearance, Kaname reached up his hands to his side of the wheel. While he wasn’t really the type to do something like this, he decided to participate more than he usually did. It was the least he could do when the princess had gone out of her way to entertain his whim. However, maybe following Zero’s example wasn’t the way to go considering they were being yelled at for spinning too fast and escorted off the attraction when it ended with the friendly request never to return again. 

“Well, they were surprisingly friendly about it” the silverette commented, earning a look from the older vampire. 

“They were? I thought they were rather pushy” he said and she glanced back at the attraction they left behind. 

“Nah, they could have been worse” she said, implying that she had experienced worse. Because Kaname knew that the story involved Kaito, he refrained from asking. He wanted to enjoy himself, not be in a bad mood because of a stupid little hunter who couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Just because Zero allowed him to touch her didn’t meant he had to take advantage of the privilege. Instead, he made his way to the next attraction that caught his eye, if only to distract himself from his own thoughts. 

“I’ll pay this time” he said as Zero followed next to him, shrugging in answer. He had barely bought their tickets when they were rushed into one of the four two-person cars attached to the closest of the four hubs on top of the dodecagonal platform. Zero pulled down the iron bar as soon as they were seated on the hard bench, giving it an extra push to make sure it was closed properly, an action that was repeated by the operator that passed by to collect their tickets. The ride started out calmly but quickly picked up speed, going back and forth while the platform spun around, allowing the cars to rotate a full 360 degrees. The motions were dizzying and Kaname was rather sure they would have been thrown into each other if they hadn’t secured themselves in their seat by pushing their feet down on the bottom of the car. 

“That looks like something that would be perfect for you” Kaname said as he ran his hands through his hair that was an absolute mess after that last ride, trying to tame the already unruly locks. Zero looked over at the mentioned stand, scoffing at the sight of several people standing in line with a riffle in their hands. Some were lying partially on top of the platform while others were standing up straight, yet they were all aiming at the prices displayed on the opposite side of the trailer. The bullets they were using were harmless and the rules of the game almost too easy, yet there obviously was a catch considering how the shooters were struggling to hit the target they had picked. 

“If you want to try it, go ahead” the silverette said, a challenge hidden in her voice but visible in her eyes as she looked at him. The progenitor refrained from copying her earlier scoff as he turned to the stand, provoked by her challenge. He handed money for five pellets over to the clerk before picking up the gun he had stepped up to. He was confident in his aim, familiar with the feeling of a weapon in his hand from his experiences a very long time ago, placing the butt of the stock against his shoulder. His finger hovered over the trigger, his other hand holding up the guard to keep the barrel steady. Zero was standing next to him, a smirk visible only in her eyes as the first shot rang out, missing its mark by an inch. Kaname lifted his head with a confused frown, wondering if his aim had been off while he loaded the next pellet. The closest he had gotten was a few millimeters off, and that was with his next to last pullet. He couldn’t understand how his last one ended up flying off in a different direction. 

“Did you?” he asked as he turned to the princess next to him, wondering if she had been using her telekinesis to sabotage him. Zero scoffed as she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. 

“Give it here” she said as she held out her hand in a request Kaname granted, handing over the gun in his hands over to the silverette while the clerk laughed good-heartedly, amused at the fact that a man would step aside for a woman, his laughter drawing the attention of the other shooters. 

“Okay, little girl. I’ll give you one free bullet. Same rules apply, you hit it, you get it” the man said, judging the young pureblood by appearances alone. It was rather clear that the man was a misogynist and Kaname was not at all surprised to see Zero’s eyes harden. Effortlessly, the silverette pulled down the barrel to load in the free pullet she received, closing it again with a flick of her wrist. Instead of placing the weapon against her shoulder, she lifted it with one hand, her expression blank as she pulled the trigger while moving her barrel diagonally upwards in an arch. The round bullet hit the corner of the price Kaname had been aiming for, ricocheting off it onto the side of another price before going into a different direction. The bullet hit another four prices before bouncing onto the floor of the stand after hitting the clerk’s round sunglasses on his nose.  

“Did you memorize all that, because I did” Zero said as the crowd just stared at her. In a daze, the clerk tried to change the silverette’s mind but only received an impatiently raised eyebrow in return as the young woman rested the gun against her shoulder. Mortified and slightly terrified, the pot-bellied man moved to gather the prizes she had hit, handing them over to Kaname who extended his hands for them. 

“Glasses” the Hio princess reminded him as she held out her hand, the clerk’s jaw dropping at her ruthlessness. Reluctantly, he handed over his sunglasses before Zero placed down the gun again. 

“As expected from our trigger-happy guardian” Kaname said as he watched her place the sunglasses on top of her head, pushing her bangs away from her forehead as they turned away from the stand. 

“It has nothing to do with skill, as you’ve noticed. The guns are created faulty, so unless you don’t know the trick to it, you’re stuck relying on luck or alcohol” she told him and the brunet shot a glance over his shoulder at the stall, seeing the men still staring at the silverette. 

“What a scheme” he said, his gaze sharpening as he drifted closer to the silverette, causing the men to look avert their attention away from the young woman. 

“What do you expect? It’s a fair” Zero said and the ancestor turned his attention to her once more. 

“Not everything on a fair is a scheme, right” he said, though he sounded somewhat unsure about his own statement. 

“No, you’re right. The food-stands and the attractions are not. Everything else is just a shakedown” she answered and then shrugged.  

“But that matters little when it’s fun and its only around once or twice a year” she said, her words ringing true when they continued to walk around the fair, entering just about every attraction they passed until Zero decided she was hungry and in need for something to eat. 

“I don’t think I liked that last one very much” Kaname admitted as they waited in line for the food-stand, his statement earning himself an amused look from the silverette next to him. Her stolen sunglasses were no longer on top of her head, having fallen to their demise a few rides ago. 

“Seriously? It didn’t even go overhead” she said and Kaname frowned at her. 

“There are ones that go overhead as well?” he asked, not sure if he was anticipating it or if dreading it. How did humans even manage to create something like this? 

“Why are you so surprised? Besides, you’re a pureblood. We are faster than any attraction they can create and going overhead isn’t even all that special” she pointed out and Kaname gave an agreeing hum. 

“True, but when I do something like that, I’m not strapped into a contraption that can hardly be considered safe” he said and the silverette looked at him before turning away with a little jerk of her head. 

“Can’t argue with that. Then again, it’s not like we can die, so what does it matter” she said, taking a step forward when the line shortened. 

“That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt” the older pureblood responded and Zero glanced up at him. 

“Physical pain is temporarily” she said and Kaname regarded her before narrowing his eyes in a gesture that could be called fond. 

“You have an answer to everything, don’t you” he said and the Hio princess looked in front of her, her amusement fading. 

“I wish I did” she responded before turning to the mortal manning the food-stand, ordering something called apple fritters and slushies, two of them. 

“Is there something plaguing your mind?” Kaname asked as they waited for their order to be made. Zero looked up at him, her struggle visible in her eyes before she averted her gaze with a sigh. 

“What isn’t” she said, deciding to answer truthfully instead of brushing it off. 

“On top of everything that’s happening at the academy, I get dragged into these politic games of both organizations and my mind keeps wandering to places I don’t want it to” she admitted. It wasn’t the first time she was confiding in him, truthfully saying what was bothering her, but he felt grateful each and every time she did. It was more than he deserved, and he was fully aware of this. 

“I cannot help you with the matter of your wandering mind, but what concerns the politic games of the vampire race, you can just compare them to animals. Some have skins as thick as rhinos while others hold their heads as high as giraffes. However, they have no choice but to bow to the elephants that are purebloods, for they can never overpower them, regardless of how many mind-games they play” he told her, hearing her scoff as she looked up at him. 

“Then what are you? A mammoth?” she asked, the words coming out sharply but amused and Kaname couldn’t help himself but laugh softly at the jab directed at himself. 

“That’s strangely accurate, so I’ll take it” he said, looking down to see the silverette look at him in surprise, her lavender eyes slightly widened. Before he could ask what the matter was, their attention was drawn to the food-stand clerk. 

“Here you go, missy. Your fritters and slushies” the man said as he held out the two large-sized cups and the white carton basket filled with steaming circles, leaning forward over the counter. 

“And I put in some extra for your boyfriend” he said with a wink while Zero accepted the red-filled cup and the basket, leaving the blue-filled cup for the older pureblood. The comment caused the silverette’s eyes to widen once more, a light flush rising up to her cheeks, much to Kaname’s surprise. 

“He’s not my…” she started to deny but trailed off with a sigh, realizing the man wasn’t listening and didn’t care either, already having turned to the next costumer. With a light shake of her head, she turned away, expecting the brunet to follow after her. He did, falling in step next to her with a short suspicious look at his cup, wondering if he was supposed to drink or eat the contents that felt freezing against the tips of his fingers despite the plastic that was in between them. 

“I half expected you to shoot him for that” he admitted as he turned his attention to the princess next to him, her blush already receded. 

“Yeah, well, he gave me free fritters, so I’m cool” she said as she picked up a powdered sugar covered beignet. Kaname watched her as she bit down on the circle, balancing both her cup and the basket in one hand. She only noticed his stare when she picked up her second fritter, looking up at him. 

“Just ask it if you want to try one” she said and Kaname, with her permission, picked up a fried circle. 

“If you insist” he said, though he had already brought the item to his mouth, the hot temperature a sharp contrast to the slushie in his other hand. He bit down in the circle, flinching as the powdered sugar flew up in his nose, proving that it was a bad idea to exhale through his nose when he was attempting to eat something with powder sugar. Trying to blow the prickling feeling out of his nose while quickly emptying his mouth, he heard Zero snort her as she turned away from him, holding the back of her hand against her lips to hold back her laughter as it bubbled up.  

“Did you just laugh at me?” Kaname asked and Zero glanced back at him as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, stunned at the sound he had not thought her capable of producing. It sounded lighter than he had ever heard her, almost making it seem as if there was nothing weighing her down even though he knew there was. It left him in awe yet made him feel guilty at the same time. While he knew now that he had not truly been at fault for the slaughter of her parents, it didn’t change the fact that he had used her, not caring about the consequences and how she was hurting. Still, guilt or not, the sound made him feel warm inside. 

“Yeah, I did” she admitted fearlessly as the brunet wiped his nose and mouth, brushing away the powder sugar. 

“I haven’t heard you laugh before” he said and Zero hummed as she chewed. 

“Yeah, it doesn’t happen often” she said and looked back up at the pureblood who lifted his hand to tuck the strands escaping Zero’s low messy bun behind her ear. She had put her ponytail up after the second attraction, lessening the risk of having her hair get caught in something. However, even the bun had proven unable to tame the mess that was caused by the wild rides. Kaname had already given up on trying to tame his own hair. 

“You should laugh more” he told her and Zero looked back at the basket as the older pureblood’s hand fell away from her hair. 

“If I have reason to” she said almost carelessly before turning her attention back to the basket. Kaname managed to snatch up a few more, deciding he liked the flavour of the fritters surprisingly much, holding his breath each time he bit into them. Zero chuckled at him, but he found that he didn’t mind her doing so. In fact, he liked it. 

He liked her. 

In hindsight, he should have noticed sooner. All the signs were there. His possessiveness over her, his  _need_ to own her that had long crossed the line and turned into an obsession, a limit he was still struggling to redraw after wiping it out below his feet. His jealousy that had become quite the monster inside of him, snarling and growling at everyone who leered at her, threatening to rise to the surface and take over his actions whenever he saw someone touch her. His protectiveness was not only because he wanted to atone for the way he had used her, but also because he felt that there needed to be at least one person who protected her, and why not him? The way he lusted after her was quite the give-away as well, which did not need an explanation. It spoke for itself. His lust had started this all, had caused him to look at her more and more. He wasn’t quite sure when he had started falling for her or how deep he had fallen, but he knew he had. 

He couldn’t quite call it love yet, but it was only a matter of time and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He didn’t want to. Not when he looked at her next to him and saw a being beautiful enough to stop his heart from beating before shocking it into going faster. 

He blinked at the half-empty cup that was held out towards him, the thick red straw with the spoon at the end pointed at him, jarring him out of his thoughts. 

“What?” he asked and the silverette rolled with her eyes. 

“You were staring. If you want a taste, just ask” she said and Kaname regarded her, wondering if she was aware of what she was suggesting. Was she really fine with putting something in her mouth after it had been in his? Oh well, it was better than her figuring out what had truly been going on inside his head. He was sure that if she knew to what realization he had come, that the budding friendship between them would be no more, and neither would he. If she knew about the way he thought about her, only his glass remains would be left when she was finished with him. He wrapped his lips around the thick straw, leaning forward to suck up the frosty beverage with a texture that had taken some time to get used to. The sweetness was quite overwhelming as well, but he found that he didn’t mind it as much as he usually would. It did mask rather much of the flavour of the beverage as well, but there was a difference between her drink and his. 

“Oi, Kuran, stick out your tongue” Zero said as the brunet straightened up again, her request taking him off guard. With a frown, he pushed out the tip of his tongue, hearing her snort as he did so. Her reaction drew his attention down to the slick muscle, blinking in surprise at the bright blue colour the uneven surface had. 

“So that’s why you took the red one” he said and the silverette shook her head negative. 

“No, I didn’t really care which one. Usually, I take a mix of the two together” she said and he wondered why she hadn’t this time. When he voiced this question, he received no answer. However, it wasn’t really needed. He could guess that she had done so for him because she hadn’t known which one he liked and it would have been easier to switch. They had yet to finish their drinks when Zero took him into several connected containers that held coin-pushers, something that was much more Kaname’s taste compared to the rides, though after a while, he found himself stuck in one once more. 

“I’m guessing this is not the Ferris wheel” the pureblood said as he looked at his sock-clad feet suspended above the heightened floor of the attraction, having been requested to take off his shoes by the operator in fear that they would come off. He wished he had pulled on his dress-shoes like he had planned instead of going for the convenience of shoes he just needed to slide into. 

“You’ll get the same view” Zero responded as the operator pulled down their thick harnesses, pushing them down to make sure they were secure and would do their jobs, strapping the two purebloods in for the ride. 

“Only for a minute or so, though” she said now that he had no way of getting out without destroying the ride. He send her a dry look, though she didn’t pay any attention to him, sitting in her chair as if she was sitting in her living room. As if the ride didn’t jerk to a start, efficiently raising them up to the sky. Kaname could admit that he did not mind the view from the top, the ground below lit up by so many lights, they all blended together into a colourful chaos. 

“I can see the academy from up here” the ancestor said, looking into the distance and able to make out both the entrance gates of Cross academy, both dorms and the school-building. 

“You can see the end of the world” Zero said, though she sounded somewhat distant as she crossed her ankles, swinging them back and forward almost mindlessly. Kaname turned his attention to her, seeing her profile lit up by the lights below and the moon above them. 

“Has anyone ever told you you’re pessimistic” he said and the silverette turned to meet his gaze. 

“I wasn’t being pessimistic now. You can see the horizon from here” she pointed out and the older pureblood felt the corner of his lips turn up into a slight smile. 

“Then call it horizon instead of the end of the world. It sounds less apocalyptic” he said and the Hio princess smirked at him. 

“But it’s also less dramatic. Let’s hope you’re locked in properly. I didn’t quite catch the click it should make” she said right at the moment the ride started to move again, the four other riders on the bottom having been properly seated and checked. 

“That sure inspires confidence” Kaname said, entwining his hands in his lap as the ride accelerated quicker than he had expected. And if that wasn’t enough, their car started turning, pretty much immediately going turning upside down. Instantly, the brunet disliked going overhead, but Zero didn’t seem to. In fact, she was chuckling each time they were violently spun around. The older man didn’t understand what was so funny about it, but he was fine with just hearing her enjoy herself. He understood it even less how she was able to stomach a whole basket of beignets immediately after, though they ended up returning for a basket for him. 

“Where do you keep putting all that food?” Kaname asked as they were slowly making their way back to the academy when they fair had been closing, looking at the silverette next to him as she tore a strip pink candy floss from the cloud that was twisted around a thin wooden stick. After the beignets, she had still eaten something called churros and two glossy red candied apples were dangling from her wrist in a wrapper. 

“In my mouth, preferably” she responded before twisting her wrist so the stick pointed towards him. She didn’t even ask if he wanted a taste and neither did he hesitate to pull a strip off the cloud, folding it up cleanly before putting it into his mouth. It melted the instant it hit his tongue, allowing him to swallow the sugar down. 

“Do you not believe in peace?” Kaname asked after a short silence and Zero glanced at him, her surprise for once reflected in her expression as she looked up at him. 

“That’s out of the blue. Why are asking something like that all of a sudden?” she asked on guard and the taller vampire looked at her. Even he wasn’t too sure where this came from. He just wanted to know how she felt about peace and how far she would go to achieve it. Would she go as far as he would? As  _she_  had gone? 

“I am still stuck in my head with what you said earlier, on that ride” he admitted and the silverette blinked as she straightened up a little. 

“Still? It was just a comment I made” she said and the brunet hummed in understanding, knowing that it was nothing more than that. However, at the same time, it was so much more. She could have called it horizon, like normal people would. Yet she had chosen to refer to it as the end of the world, as if another war would break out, or as if another apocalypse would be upon them, and he wanted to know why. 

“Can’t I ask?” Kaname asked and the Hio princess glanced at him shortly before looking back at the road in front of them. 

“Sure, you can ask. I just wonder what you want me to answer” she responded and the brunet slid his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. 

“Honesty would be appreciated, but you can answer whatever you wish. I just wonder what drives you. Why you allowed me to manipulate you when Yuuki was human if it wasn’t for peace. Each time we talk about anything related to it, you speak as if you do not believe in it. Yet you go above and beyond to achieve it despite loathing politics” he said and the silverette looked up at the sky overhead. 

“It’s not like I don’t believe in peace at all. If something like peace exist, then I believe in it. However, I don’t think it’s the kind of peace you or Cross are wishing for. Your goal of ‘peace’ might be the same, but the path towards it isn’t. I don’t know about how it is now, but before, when Yuuki was human, both of you were aware of this, yet choose to ignore it in order to reach your goals” she said before her brows pulled together slightly. 

“However, that’s exactly what causes war. The word you two are looking for is equal, peace. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that your idea of peace is the same as Cross’s. Two roads can be different and ultimately lead to the same destination, yet the angle that you arrive at is different from the other roads unless either of you bends and diverges from his own path to join with the other’s. But that will mean giving up his own idea of peace. And if you are capable of doing that, how strong was believe in your idea of peace in the first place?” she asked rhetorically before continuing with her eyes closed. 

“It’s like a tug of war. Unless you’re all standing on the same side, the results will be the same. A struggle where each side is desperate to attain their ideals of peace. Common sense tells us that peace means no war, but without war, there is no peace. It all comes down to the same thing” Zero said and the words made Kaname’s chest freeze while it felt excruciatingly hot at the same.  

“Then, what is your idea of peace?” he found himself asking as he stared at the silverette, whose eyes tiredly turned to him.  

“Who knows. I’m not too sure myself” she said before shrugging. 

“Perhaps this is as close to peace as we’re going to get. All three races up against a common enemy. Well, two races with the third one hiding powerlessly in their shadows” she said before looking over at the older pureblood. 

“What is your idea of peace?” she returned the question. “What drives you?” 

“Before, it was Yuuki. Yuuki was all that mattered to me. But that has changed. I’m not too sure about it now either. Perhaps it is protecting the things important to me, regardless of the cost” he admitted effortlessly, though it didn’t feel good to say it. Yuuki was supposed to be the most important thing in his life, but she no longer was. Don’t get him wrong, she was still incredibly important to him. She was and would always be his sister, but he did not love her like a lover would. 

“How is Wakaba Sayori adjusting?” he asked, now that he was thinking about change. Zero, who was apparently extremely used to conversations switching topics like a person changed underwear, didn’t even blink at the question. Her mood seemed to sour, though, which was completely understandable considering the situation. 

“It’s difficult, which is not at all surprising” she said and pushed another strip of candy floss onto her mouth. 

“She’s terrified of herself, especially during cross-over, when she’s around humans” she said before scoffing. “She’s lucky she can keep the tablets down.” 

“I don’t know why Yuuki changed Wakaba-kun. It’s not something she would usually do but she is under a lot of stress” Kaname said but the words felt like an excuse before they even touched his tongue. Yuuki had calmed down strangely quickly after the attack of her best friend, and while he could write it off as having more composure as a vampire than she ever had as a human, he still found it weird. However, Sayori’s condition had taken priority over his own confusion and the concern his sister had shown afterwards had erased any question he had. At the moment, it was the rose-blonde former human who was trying her best to avoid the Kuran princess instead of the other way around, though Yuuki looked hesitant to approach her as well. 

“She’s not the only one” Zero spoke up, drawing the progenitor out of his thoughts, his attention turning to the silverette again. There was something in her eyes that caused his breathing to falter, yet he could not explain what it was. Not before her next words felt like a punch in the gut. 

“When you’re with her, you look like you’re dead inside.” 

Those words continued to ghost inside his head, bouncing around his skull without pause. He looked dead inside? Around Yuuki? Around the person who he had done everything for? Zero was not one to lie, he knew this, but why? 

“I don’t know why. I don’t want to know either. That’s your problem” Zero said, answering the question he hadn’t meant to say out loud. Perhaps he hadn’t, he wasn’t quite sure. He was too caught up with thinking of the reason why it was possible for him to look dead inside. Had he forced himself too much? Had he been too desperate to repay Haruka and Juri by pushing himself to love Yuuki in the way they wished? Not to get him wrong, he loved Yuuki, but not as the fiancée they had intended their true son to be. 

“Did someone else notice?” he asked and Zero shook her head. 

“Not that I am aware of” she answered before looking over at him. There was no pity in her eyes, merely understanding. And perhaps a hint of acceptance he didn’t deserve but craved like a drowning man needed water. 

“As far as I can tell, Yuuki hasn’t noticed, which is the most important, right?” she asked and Kaname looked away from her, trying not to bask in that tiny hint of the forbidden fruit. He had no right to her acceptance. 

“You don’t seem surprised” he said, not vocally confirming his ailing. Zero shrugged in answer. 

“I’m not naïve enough to think you don’t have your own issues to deal with. You are bound to have suffered through your own traumas and they are bound to have left scars that not even time can heal. It happens when people are alive” she said before looking over at him, a small smirk playing on her lips. 

“To be honest, it makes you seem real” she said and Kaname huffed. 

“What? Did I seem like a dream to you before?” he asked and Zero barked a laugh. 

“Don’t get so cocky. As if you’d ever be anything but a nightmare” she said and the Kuran king looked down at her, tearing a piece of candy floss from the cloud. 

“I can’t be cocky. I wasn’t born a chicken” he said, the wheezing sound leaving the Hio princess’s lips catching him off guard. 

“Is that your attempt at a joke?” she asked as she looked up at him with a shake of her head, the only answer she received being a smile. Unlike his sister, who would tell him to stop trying to be funny because it didn’t suit him, Zero actually laughed. It was small, but it was a laugh and it was one that made his chest feel warm. 

“You need to work on that. Nice try, though” she said with another shake of her head, the mood instantly lifted by that one bad joke. Or an attempt, as the master of hidden weapons called it.  


	14. Cravings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes (n.n)

Insomnia was not something new to Kaname. He had suffered from it for longer than he cared to remember. As a child during this time, he hadn’t been burdened by sleepless nights as much as usual. Barely even, compared to what it used to be. But lately, his bouts had gotten worse again. Not really that much of a surprise considering the situation with his sister, the attacks of the hidden weapon imitators, the vampire society that demanded an audience with the new pureblood princess among them, not to mention his feelings towards said pureblood princess. It was not to avoid the wet dreams he knew he would have of her, but because of the conversation they had had on their way back from the fair. Her words were ghosting around in his head as if she had spoken them a few seconds ago, keeping him from sleep. 

She had repeated _her_  words. 

When he had travelled with  _her_ , he had foolishly believed in the common definition of peace. It was something she had always chuckled fondly at whenever they talked about it, but Kaname had only been brave enough to ask for her view on peace once. The answer had confused him and he had been too prideful to ask for an explanation. He hadn’t wanted to think of the possibility of himself being wrong and had been too full of himself to see what she truly meant with her words. He had refused to see the plans she had made to reach her goal because he had loved her and had believed that his love would have been enough to stop her from missing her mortal lover, who had died of the same thing that had turned them into the first purebloods. He had proudly believed he would have been enough to make her want to live and that it was only a matter of time before she would return his feelings. 

Nobody wanted to think of their beloved dying or preferring death over life. 

When he had seen her toss her heart into the furnace and feed her flesh to the humans who turned into the first hunters, he had felt himself break. His pride had shattered at his feet and he had thrown away his believes of peace without thinking twice, swearing to himself and to her ghost that was no longer around, that he would do everything within his power to make her dream come true. That her sacrifice would not be in vain. Along the way, her dream had become his, but the lack of her at his side made his sanity slip. Quite a lot. He had managed to hold out for centuries until he no longer could, retreating into a slumber to protect his own state of mind, lest he truly went mad and ruined everything she had sacrificed herself for. Everything he had sworn to protect. 

After Rido had revived him, Kaname had been feeling lost up until Yuuki’s birth. When he had laid eyes on her, on her features that were still chubby with child fat, he had recognized  _her_  despite the different hair and eye colour. He saw the woman he had loved in a previous life and the woman who had sacrificed herself for her dream of peace. He did not want to lose her a second time, so he had sworn to himself to protect the child that might be her reincarnation. That he would do everything within his power to protect Yuuki and the peace his first love had given her life for. He had gone so far in it, too desperate to protect his beloved baby sister, that he had discarded any other life. He had forgotten why she had sacrificed herself and had believed it to be his right to manipulate the descendants of the humans who had consumed her flesh for power. Power to keep the balance, to keep the peace she wanted to exist between the races. 

It had taken Zero’s words to remind him of the true meaning of her dream. Of the true reason why she had sacrificed herself and why she had given the hunters the power to stand next to vampires. 

It wasn’t helping him sleep at night, the guilt of how he had slowly started losing sight of his goal keeping him up. 

He blinked in surprise as he stopped in the doorframe of the library, seeing a dim light burning in the back of the room. The subdued ray of artificial light casted a soft glow on the slender back that was clad in an oversized button up, directed at the door. Silver hair was pulled back into a loose braid, draped over one of her shoulders, falling even further down as she turned her head to look over her shoulder at the vampire who dared to disturb her solitude. Lavender eyes looked at him tiredly, her scowl disappearing as she closed them with a sigh. 

“The lack of sleep must be getting to me. I didn’t even notice you coming” she said, her voice no louder than a whisper but audible enough for Kaname to hear. It wasn’t all that difficult considering the entire dorm was asleep, the thick curtains closed to prevent the harsh rays of the sun from entering the room. The older man stepped further inside, shutting the door behind him to give them a semblance of privacy that could be broken by a mere push against the wood. 

“I am afraid I am having the same issue, since I failed to notice you were here” he said as he walked up to her, her eyes following him as he moved. 

“Would you mind it if I joined you?” he asked, hearing her scoff in response. 

“He asks after closing the door” she said and but jerked her chin at the chair next to her, connected to the one she had picked out to use. She shifted her weight away from the centre of the tête-a-tête as Kaname took the seat that faced the door, leaning back against the curved back-leaning. 

“It’s quite loud, isn’t it?” Zero asked, drawing the brunet’s attention as he turned his head to look at her, taking in the way she was sitting. Her jogging-clad legs were drawn up, a book lodged in between her stomach and her thighs while her braid was curled up on the seat next to her. She looked almost fragile, but Kaname was rather sure that even now, she was packing a few daggers on her body. 

“What is?” he asked confused, not sure what she was talking about when the dorm was never as quiet as it was at this time. 

“Your thoughts” she answered, giving him a knowing look. 

“If they are keeping you up this late, they must be incredibly loud” she clarified and the progenitor regarded her before sighing, closing his eyes. 

“I believe that goes for both of us, considering you are here as well” he pointed out and the silverette gave a hum, not bothering to try and deny his statement. 

“I was planning on using incense but decided to do something productive” she said, her fingers falling in a staccato rhythm against the page they were resting on in a meaningful gesture, drawing the king’s attention to the book. 

“Some light literature?” he asked, though he doubted it considering how the pages had yellowed and how the contents were still hand-written. It wasn’t something he could read since there were no words, the pages filled with vertical lines of symbols he could make no sense of. 

“More like old” she confirmed Kaname’s guess, looking at the book in her hands with reverence and pride. That one gaze described its importance to the young pureblood better than words would ever be able to, betraying how much of a treasure it was. 

“It’s one of my clan’s old journals” she said and sierra eyes widened in shock. 

“There is still something left of the clan?” he asked, obviously surprised by this fact. He hadn’t expected anything tangible to be left of that era, time having destroyed everything else he had been looking for with very little exceptions. The things that remained were all items he could count on one hand. His mausoleum was the largest things that had been spared from destruction, but that was only because of the charms on it, not to mention the mansion that had been build on top of it. Compared to his tomb, everything else he had found from that era was insignificant. But the journals of the moon-clan were easily of the same importance as his basement, though much more dangerous. His tomb could be used as a museum, but the journals were treasures that could be turned into a weapon, depending in whose hands it was held. 

“Only old journals that are passed down through the generations, and there are only four left. Well, four and a half, though my own journal isn’t nearly as important as the other four and I’m still writing in it” she said and Kaname blinked, unconsciously leaning closer to her in interest. 

“You’re writing your own journal?” he asked and the silverette nodded in confirmation. 

“Like every other significant member of the clan. And not to toot my own horn, as last one, I think I’m significant enough to do so” she said and Kaname agreed with her. It would be a shame if she wouldn’t record her experiences as last master of the arts. 

“My great-grandmother wrote a journal, along with all the other village leaders. Two of those were passed down to my grandfather, who in turn passed them down to my father, along with the journal he had written. The same happened with me” she said and Kaname frowned. 

“What happened to the two others?” he asked and Zero looked up at him from the corner of her eyes. 

“I’m pretty sure you’re thinking the same thing as I am” she said, not even needing the brunet to voice his suspicions to know what he was thinking. If someone got one of those journals in hand and translated the cursive kanji, it would explain why the art of hidden weapons was suddenly revived. It wasn’t a comforting thought, but not one they could ignore either. 

“Is it possible that there are other survivors of the clan?” Kaname asked and the Hio princess exhaled tiredly through her nose. 

“Of course it is possible” she said before looking up at him again. 

“I don’t know what you know about the clan, but they weren’t exactly at peace. While there was war going on outside, there were constant internal struggles between the villages over insignificant things as well as important things. But mostly, it was about what they needed to do to survive. One said to keep travelling constantly, the other said to join the war as a third party. The other one then said to cut off everything connecting them to the outside world while the fourth side said to join them and try to make them see how they lived” she said, showing a glimpse into the clan that Kaname hadn’t been allowed to see during his visit. He hadn’t stayed there long enough to truly get a sense of how they lived either. 

“Mortals were protected by vampires and the vampires didn’t even ask blood in return. But the humans weren’t exactly treated equally either. Because they didn’t hold the same battle powers as vampires, they were left to work in the fields and such. Personally, I think that’s pretty normal. They’d only be sending them to their deaths if they send out humans to fight vampires” Zero said and shrugged.  

“But the humans weren’t satisfied with that. A handful of them were powerful enough to join the ranks of the fighter and they were trained in the art of hidden weapons. But jealousy is a vile thing” she continued and the pureblood king soaked up the information he was receiving. 

“The human clansmen were not content with only fieldwork. They underestimated the burden that came with fighting and they forced the humans that were fighters to take over the power from the village chiefs. Only one succeeded. West lost their vampire village chief to a human fighter, who hadn’t even wanted to take the place. It had been a rule since the beginning that you could challenge a village chief. If you killed them, you took their place, whether you were a noble, a regular vampire or even human. If you had the skills, you belonged there. But the new west chief was manipulated by the humans who were unsatisfied with what they had” the princess told him. 

“The west chief told the other leaders the situation and they simply told him to do what he thought was right. The west belonged to him now and it was his part to lead. So, he showed the humans what it was like to fight. He sent a couple of them to guard the borders and not even a handful returned. Of course, this shut them up, but the rage kept shimmering under the surface. West’s chief finally took his role seriously and became someone like Cross. He was called a vampire by his fellows because they were bitter and they rejected him” she said and turned her head to look at Kaname, meeting his gaze. 

“The west chief suggested the complete opposite of what Cross is trying to accomplish. He saw no way for humans and vampires to live together. While the vampires who led the other three village parts were different from the ones on the outside, inside the village, the humans were the monsters. Slaves to their own greed. So, the west chief took his part and ordered them back into a war-filled society. He broke off his own section for the sake of the balance they had in the village, leaving behind nothing more than his journal” she said and the Kuran ancestor rested his arm on the leaning that separated the two seats. 

“What happened then?” he asked, seeing an elegant silver eyebrow rise towards her hairline. 

“Isn’t that obvious? The humans were gone and the village went up in smoke. Disappeared from knowledge like they had done at the start before human greed caused the information to leak out. It’s only because of the West chief’s outside help that they managed to get away from the whole war. Until one of the Kiryuus was manipulated into siding with the hunters to save the rest of the village by letting it disband. The hunters didn’t take enough with just a Kiryuu, and when the others refused, they were killed” she told him about the end of the moon clan before shrugging. 

“Perhaps there had been a few who managed to escape, or perhaps the books have been hidden. I only know of the books I have in my possession” she added, looking at the brunet. 

“It wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that someone found one of the two remaining books. Probably the one that held the most information about the steroids the Es are pumped full with” the princess said before tapping the book again. 

“That’s why I’m going through them all, in the hope to find something more about it. Perhaps that the west chief or my family have more information about it. I haven’t gotten far yet, though” she said and Kaname nodded in understanding before his brows furrowed slightly. 

“Is it okay? To tell me all these things? The secrets of the moon clan?” he asked and lavender eyes rose to meet his own orbs. 

“You’ve been there before, haven’t you? You’ve met my ancestor. Why would I hide it when you already know about the clan?” she asked and the older man exhaled slowly through his nose. 

“I have met Rei, yes, but my visit to the clan was short-lived. It lasted no longer than three days” he said before leaning back again, closing his eyes. 

“Back then, I was travelling with another one like me. Another progenitor. She was Rei’s sworn sister” he told her and heard her hum. 

“Fuyuko, right?” she asked and Kaname frowned in confusion. Not because she knew his first love’s name and neither because her name was called after what seemed like an eon, but because his heart did not skip like he had expected it to. Usually, when he thought about her, he was filled with warmth and longing, strong enough to make his heartbeat falter. However, it had been a while since he had thought about her and the lack of reaction surprised him. 

“Yes, Fuyuko. How did you know?” he asked as he opened his eyes to look at her. 

“Rei mentions her in her journal a couple of times. Well, more than a couple of times. She was very fond of her sworn sister and she didn’t hide it” she said and Kaname hummed as he smiled, remembering the small interaction he had seen between the two sworn sisters. It had been short but it had spoken louder than words. 

“You were fond of her as well, weren’t you?” the Hio princess guessed and the brunet gave a confirming hum, not bothering to hide it. 

“I was. She was everything to me. My travel companion, my best friend, my lover” he said as he looked up at the high ceiling overhead, his eyes narrowing fondly but in pain. 

“I would do anything for her, without hesitation, even now. Back then, I had been cocky. I had believed that even if she didn’t love me like I loved her, she would come to love me eventually” he said before closing his eyes again. 

“She didn’t. At least not enough to continue living” he said and for once, felt neither the stab of loss in his chest nor the heavy darkness of depression. It was still there, he was sure. But it didn’t feel as heavy as it used to before. Not since he had admitted to himself that he was falling for the silverette sitting next to him, listening to him without judging. 

“She gave her flesh to create hunters and gave her heart to create their weapons, all for the peace she believed in. A dream I swore to make happen at any cost” he said before looking at her. 

“Somewhere along the line, I lost my way and forgot the importance of human life. Nothing was more important than Yuuki who resembled Fuyuko so much, it hurt. I believed her to be Fuyuko’s reincarnation” he admitted and Zero gave him a grim smile. 

“But she only does in appearance, right?” she asked and the pureblood wanted to deny it but couldn’t. He could not lie to the silverette and neither could he tell her things he was not sure about, things he did not know how true they really were.  

“Her appearance alone was enough to trigger something in me. It made me desperate to protect her to the point I thought of nothing else, and I regret that” he told her, watching her eyes widen slightly as he smiled a small, guilty smile. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you hated me. You have every right to considering how I treated you and my holier-than-thou attitude” he said, his words clearly catching the princess off guard. Clearly, she had not expected him to voice his regret and shame over the way he had objectified her and how he had treated her as nothing but a disposable pawn in his schemes. However, he could tell that it was appreciated by the way her shoulders lowered slightly, a glint entering her eyes. Her gaze, dare he say it, softened. 

“I don’t hate you” she said, her words causing a heat to spread inside Kaname’s chest even when her gaze saddened a little. 

“I just don’t think I can forgive you” she admitted and the pureblood king remained silent as he regarded her. For some reason, while the words weren’t positive, he couldn’t help but feel encouraged by them. Touched, almost. Especially when a miniscule smile curled up the corners of her lips, brightening up her expression. 

“Then again, I don’t think absolution is something you want” she guessed and the progenitor exhaled an amused sigh through his nose. 

“You’re right about that” he agreed, knowing that forgiveness was the last thing he wanted, even if it was not his to give. Even if Zero found it in herself to forgive him for what he had done, he wouldn’t accept it, for he could not forgive himself. He did not deserve it, just like he did not deserve her acceptation, yet he was basking in it. Zero truly was too soft-hearted for her own good, regardless of what mask she wore trying to hide it. She was filled with glares and fierceness, yet held a certain delicacy. An unconditionally loving heart that was wrapped by a glass soul that could shatter with the slightest of wind, but was protected by the thickest and tallest wall of stubbornness. Kaname almost chuckled at his own thoughts. That was a pretty accurate way to describe the silverette, yet it was not enough. Not even close. 

Almost everything about her lured him in, her contradictions intriguing him. The gap between her almost frail appearance and her headstrong personality capturing his attention. He beauty was a balm for her tongue that was sharper than a viper half the time, even worse when she disliked you. Her elegance was captivating, belying just how lethal she was. Her cold attitude was the complete opposite of her warm scent that bewitched even the biggest, baddest pureblood. The fragrance of peach blossom and roses was directly below his nose, mixed with the distinctive scent of metal and something undoubtedly poisonous. Pureblood.  

Yet, despite knowing how potent the poison of a pure born could be, he could not stop himself from salivating, his fangs tingling in eagerness to sink into the pale skin that formed a flimsy barrier between his mouth and the ambrosia that streamed through her veins, waiting to be sampled. And oh, how he wanted to. His body seemed to have forgotten that it had fed the day before, hungering for the princess’s blood like he hadn’t consumed anything for the past months. 

Kaname startled at the sound of a gasp, blinking back to reality to see Zero leaning slightly away from him, from the leaning that separated them and that they had unconsciously drifted closer towards during their conversation. Her hand was folded around her neck, her lavender eyes wide in shock above a flush that was brighter than he had ever seen on her cheekbones. Kaname was startled by his own boldness that had caused him to mindlessly scent her neck, but he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it. Not when he saw her blush so prettily, the colour matching the pinkness of her lips that were parted invitingly, casting a spell on the progenitor. Fully conscious of what he was doing this time, he allowed his body to drift closer to the perfect, his eyes rising up from her lips just in time to see hers lower to his in a quick glance. 

He did not need any more encouragement. 

“Onii-sama?” a voice spoke up the second the doors to the room were pushed open, stopping the brunet right when he had been tilting his head, the heat of the silverette’s breath warming his lips. He pulled back just enough to look at his sister who had stepped inside the room, wearing nothing but a white silk nightdress that brushed her upper thighs. She was barefooted and the long strands of her hair were in disarray, proving that she had come straight out of bed like Kaname and Zero had. However, unlike them, she had been able to sleep, none of the older purebloods tiredness weighing her down. Her sudden appearance caused Zero to avert her eyes, turning her face away from the ancestor and his fiancée. 

“Why are you here with Zero? I’m missing you in bed” Yuuki told him and Kaname heaved a sigh so soft she could not have heard him. The young woman next to him, however, definitely had, looking up at him as he got to his feet. 

“There was no need for you to come all the way here, Yuuki. I was just taking a book to read before going to sleep. It is inappropriate for a princess to walk around the hallways where men live, dressed the way you are” he said, his voice slightly scolding. Yuuki lowered her head guiltily, not meeting his gaze but instead looking at the Hio princess’s back. 

“I’m sorry. I was just worried when I woke up and you weren’t there. I heard there was another attack last night and I though” she said, letting her sentence trail off as the older Kuran walked up to her, his steps slow and unhurried. 

“There is no need to worry. Takamiya-san is he is a capable hunter” he reminded her, hearing Zero get up behind him, drawing the attention of both Kurans. 

“Are you going somewhere, Zero?” Yuuki asked as the silverette moved to the door of the library that was still left open. 

“I’m going to sleep with Lily after seeing Kaito” she said curtly, her words sparking Kaname’s jealousy to life. 

“Good night, Zero” the brunet said, though received no answer as she brushed past the two family members. She passed in the door-opening her hand on the frame as she looked back before ducking into the hallway without a word. The king exhaled a displeased huff through his nose but turned his attention to his sister immediately after. 

“Let’s return to our chamber, Yuuki” he said and his little fiancée smiled up at him, clearly agreeing with his suggestion. She boldly took his hand in hers as they made their way back to their room, lacing their fingers together, yet the older brunet felt nothing. He could only think of how close he had been to tasting the Hio princess’s blood and lips, and how she was now going to that infuriating hunter even when she had not been averse to his proximity. 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

Zero woke up with a startled gasp, her eyes wide as they looked at the ceiling of her bed, not seeing the dark wood but instead lingering images of her dream. Unconsciously, her fingertips touched her lower lip, the ghost of another mouth on hers toying with her mind. She knew she had lucid dreams and she knew she could control them, but never would she have expected herself to dream of Kaname trying to kiss her, let alone make the choice not to move away. In her dream, her decision had led to a kiss that had been steamier than any of her previous experiences and she had revelled in it. She wondered if the same thing would have happened in the library if Yuuki hadn’t arrived. She hadn’t moved away then either, despite knowing exactly what would happen if she didn’t. 

She might be inexperienced in the matters of love, but thanks to Kaito, she was knowledgeable enough to know when someone was going to kiss her. Kaname had planned on kissing her, when they had been in the library suffering from a bout of insomnia, and Zero would have let him. She would have been a willing participant, even. It had surprised herself at the time, the disappointment she had felt when Yuuki had entered the room. It had quickly grown into shame and mortification. Even if she disliked Yuuki, nobody deserved to be cheated on by the person they loved and the princess did not want to put herself in between the two Kurans. Again. 

Instead, she had fled the room in search for her fellow hunter in order to beat him up, blaming him for the weird way she reacted to advances thanks to all his so-called lessons. She had expected him to laugh, to make fun of her and remind her of her potential as a honey trap, but he hadn’t. To her surprise and confusion, he had gotten angry. He had grabbed her wrist, demanding to know who had made a pass at her. Taken aback by his anger, she had refused to answer as she had torn her arm out of his grasp, but she hadn’t needed to either. He had been able to guess who she had been talking about and she had to stop him from going to the dorms. She was fully aware of how she was the only exception of his hatred for purebloods, but he was usually more rational. He had always been the calm one, able to hold back from acting where Zero just dove in head-first without regard of her own safety. He was usually the one holding her back, not the other way around. 

Zero shook it off, both the memories of how Kaito had reacted and the ghost of the dream that left her a little too hot and entirely too bothered. She hoped a shower would calm her down and if it didn’t, she would just need to turn the water to cold. Besides, her master swore by cold showers on long-term missions and if it worked for him, she could think of no reason why it wouldn’t for her. It had helped before and she didn’t see why it wouldn’t this time. In the first place, she didn’t know why she had dreamt of Kaname kissing her in the first place. Was it because they hadn’t in the library and she was curious about what would have happened if they had? Or was there something more behind it? Something she was not yet aware of while her subconscious was, trying to get her attention through her dreams? 

Or perhaps she was just pent up. 

That stuff happened to women as well, something she forgot she was at times. 

Not having worn anything to bed like usual allowed her to step into the shower-stall without needing to undress herself, turning on the water before standing underneath the shower-head. The water warmed up quickly, hitting the front of her chest as she tilted her head back with her eyes closed. The pleasantly hot temperature soothed her tense muscles as she massaged them with her hands, rubbing her nape as she rolled her head sideways. She recalled how a bigger hand had been there in her dream, slender fingers digging in with just enough pressure to pull her in and keep her in place as a mouth ravished her own. She pushed her tongue up against the roof of her mouth, a shiver running down her spine despite the steam that was rising up from both the floor and her skin, evidence of how hot the water was. 

With her eyes closed, she could practically feel those lips against hers all over again, as if she had never woken up. Or perhaps this was a new dream, for the hands that used to be in her nape and in her hair were now smoothing the long locks down her back, the strands sticking to her skin as the water caused the colour to darken. She could practically feel the ghostly hands caress her skin when they were finished with her hair, following the path the water took down her body, brushing the outsides of her thighs before going up her sides. Fingertips trailed across her skin, following her curves as lips pressed against her shoulder. 

Her lips parted unconsciously as she let her head roll back, her body feeling hot despite the goose-bumps that broke out across her skin, the phantom touches sending shivers down her spine as she could only imagine feeling a weight against her back, a figure taller than her and bigger in width as well, yet not enough to truly tower over her. However, it was definitely enough to encompass her, hands sliding across her skin as they wrapped around her, brushing the sensitive skin below her breasts and low around her waist, low enough for fingers to rest below her protruding hipbone. Lips were pressing up against hers, moulding and meshing together, chasing after her each time they parted. 

“Kana-” she breathed heatedly, cutting herself off with wide eyes before she could finish that name, feeling like she was drenched with icy-cold water despite knowing the hot water never ran out. 

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Hell no. Hell to the fucking no. Just, no. 

She had not just been thinking about Kaname in the fucking shower with one hand seeking support against the wall and the other slipped in between her legs. Her core was wet against her fingers and she didn’t even doubt for one second that it was not only because of the shower. Fuck it all to hell and back. This was not the first time she had resorted to masturbating in the shower, but she was not about to do it over Kuran fucking Kaname. Hell no. Even her former day class president was better than him. 

On second thought, no he wasn’t. Forget she ever even implied it. 

Ugh, whatever. She shouldn’t be making such a big deal out of this. Men used women as material all the time. She knew Kaito used her. Or  _had_  used her. It was something he had openly admitted to, something that really should make her feel awkward and self-conscious but didn’t because it didn’t surprise her all that much. If she had to be honest, she had used him as material as well. Yet she had never felt as weird and embarrassed as she did now, when she had caught herself fantasizing about the night dorm president, and then she hadn’t even gone all the way yet. Then she hadn’t finished the fantasy her mind was conjuring up, unable to remain in the moment for long enough to see where it would end.  

She was craving chocolate. And some aged whiskey. 

Mentally kicking herself, she reached out for her shower gel, forcefully scrubbing herself down while turning the water to cold without touching the knob. Will-power was the only thing that kept her in place underneath the stream that felt like it was freezing her skin that had already been reddened by the hot water. She rushed through what was left of her shower, hoping her roommate hadn’t heard any of it. Sayori was an early riser, unlike her, but considering the thickness of the walls and the limited sense of hearing of a former human, it was completely possible the rose-blonde had been ignorant of the whole hot under the shower thing. 

Shutting down the water and stepping out of the shower, she dried herself off quickly, not knowing how much time she had wasted inside her own mind. It took quite a while for her hair to dry even with a hairdryer, a knock resounding on the door. 

“Zero? Can I come in to apply my make-up?” the former human on the other side of the door asked as the silverette zipped up her skirt, looking up from the floor in front of her feet. 

“Come on in” she responded, watching the door open just enough for the smaller woman to slip through the crack. The bathroom was nice and warm because of the shower that had been taken and neither of them wanted any of that heat to escape just yet, even if it wasn’t as warm as it usually was. Despite being changed into a vampire, Sayori was still sensitive to the cold. In fact, Zero would even go as far as to say that she had gotten even more sensitive to it. Perhaps it was a mental problem? It wasn’t like their dorm room was cold, it was even warmer than the sun dorms, but traumas made it difficult for the body to warm up and lord knew that an attack followed by a transition into a vampire was more than enough to be scarred mentally. 

It had been enough to scar even her, which was why she completely understood the rose-blonde when she hated the pureblood who turned her. Yuuki seemed to be unable to understand this, always trying to get closer to the short-haired vampire despite Sayori best efforts to avoid her. The rose-blonde wasn’t like Zero, she did not shun people openly and she did not turn them away because she had been taught better, but the Kuran princess should know her well enough to know when Sayori wanted to be left alone. Perhaps she recognized but just ignored the signals for her own selfishness, to assure herself she did not need to feel guilty about turning the best friend into a vampire against her will. 

At least, that is what Zero wanted to think. But she knew better. 

She knew Yuuki was the one who attacked Sayori even without her admitting even a hint about it, using the attack as an excuse to turn the short-haired girl into a vampire. Her servant, to be more specific. For what reason, the Hio princess could only guess based on her own suspicions without any proof. It did not fit in with how the brunette was manipulating her ancestor’s inner circle, trying to break them up, especially not when she suggested the former human to room up with her. The silverette was not part of the king’s inner circle, she was just friends with a couple of them and amiable with the rest of them. 

The only reason Zero could think of for Yuuki to go as far as to ruin her best friend’s life in order to room her up with her, was to keep an eye on her. She didn’t know why, though, what motives she had behind her actions. Why would Yuuki want to keep an eye on her? She was not part of Kaname’s inner circle and neither did she have any plans to become a member. Perhaps she was feeling threatened by the friendship the two older vampires were building up? Did she have a reason to be? After all, Kaname confided more in her than he did in his own fiancee. Not to mention that he had been about to kiss her, back then in the library. She had no idea if that was just him acting on the moment and sleep-deprivation, or acting on impulses he had been feeling before. 

Zero could not ask Sayori for the reason why she had been changed. Not when she remembered how the rose-blonde had nearly clawed her own throat out when she had tried. The terrified look in her eyes had told her that she had not intended nor wanted to harm herself in such a way. The Hio princess did not want a repeat of it, so she remained silent and would figure things out on her own, so she wouldn’t add to the rose-blonde’s traumas. 

“Zero?” the younger vampire inquired as she looked at the silverette through the mirror, wordlessly questioning why she was being stared at. 

“How are you feeling?” Zero asked, not for the first time, but perhaps the second or maybe third time. She knew that was not a question one wanted to be asked often and Aidou asked it practically every week at least once. The silverette received her own answer by studying the smaller teen’s body language. But sometimes, she wanted a vocal answer. Sayori smiled at her, though it was small, averting her gaze to her mascara tube in her hands. There was both sadness and fear visible in the curve of her lips, but there was a genuine hint to it as well. As if it was becoming easier to smile. 

“I’m better” she admitted, not bothering to lie because she knew the silverette would just look at her in distrust and disappointment. There was no use in trying to lie to a person who could read body-language like it was a book. 

“It’s still hard, to resist an urge I don’t want to have. To have instincts I didn’t have before” she said, looking embarrassed to admit it. Zero knew painfully well which instincts she was talking about. The veins that became visible when the hunger struck, the instincts that told every vampire to fear and respect purebloods, the senses that were better than that of a human’s, which could also be a pain in the ass considering you heard more than you were supposed to and during crossover, not to mention the sunlight. Zero had gone through it all, so  she knew exactly what the rose-blonde was talking about. 

“But, once I look past all the bad things, not all things about my change are bad” Sayori added while meeting her lavender gaze through the mirror. There was gratefulness in her light coloured eyes, conveying how thankful she was to have Zero with her. Someone who didn’t need her to voice anything if she didn’t want to, understanding her even without words. Someone who cared, someone she could trust. Someone who wouldn’t judge and would quietly stand by her side like a rock when she needed support and a threat when she needed protection. She had known Zero had been like that with Yuuki, but apparently, she had never suspected herself to be privileged enough to be treated the same. 

“The blood tablets definitely are, though” the silverette said, coaxing a little laugh from the smaller woman. 

“Yeah. Those really take some getting used to” she agreed, looking up when the door of their room opened. 

“Zero, Wakaba-san, are you two ready? It’s time for breakfast” Aidou’s voice travelled through the room, the sound of it tense. 

“I’m still not used to that either. How he just barges in without knocking” the rose-blonde said with a wry but somewhat amused smiled. The first time the blonde aristocrat had walked in, Sayori had been reading a book while Zero had been bathing. The teen had been shocked to see the blonde enter the bathroom without knocking, already ranting about the progress of the new blood tablets. She had followed after him, trying to stop him from intruding on the princess without knowing how to do so considering it was impossible to get a word in between Aidou’s rant. Zero had waved it off as normal and told her not to worry, but Sayori had still been shocked. 

“He’s already being more considerate since you moved in here, save for the few times he was too worked up to remember” the Hio princess told her, recalling how he now took the time to arrange his slippers in the entrance instead of just kicking them off. It gave them only a few seconds to prepared themselves for his entrance, but it was a small victory. So small it wasn’t really worth mentioning, but it was enough for Sayori to flee to her room or back into the bathroom when Aidou’s entrance was badly timed. 

“Or that time when he stumbled in here, half-asleep, and just passed out in your room” the rose-blonde reminded her, pointing out that moment a few days back, when the aristocrat had been dead on his feet from his research and had entered her room and her bed as if it had been the most normal thing to do. Zero hadn’t cared very much and had just slept next to him. It hadn’t been the first time they shared a bed, but for some reason, Aidou had been just as embarrassed about it as he had been that first time. When Zero had noticed the blonde shoot a look at her roommate, she understood. The aristocrat was aware of the former human. 

It was cute. 

And so tease-worthy. 

“We still have time for breakfast, Busa. What are you being so jumpy about?” Zero asked as the two female vampires stepped out of bathroom, fully dressed and ready to go. The aristocrat standing in the middle of their living area looked restless, twitchy almost, yet excited. 

“Oh come on, Zero! Don’t tell me you forgot we were supposed to gather early for breakfast today” the blonde said as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. 

“That was today?” the silverette asked, seeing blue eyes roll up to the ceiling overhead. 

“Yes, that was today. Now hurry up! Everyone is waiting” he said, looking like he wanted to drag her out of the room without allowing her to pull on her shoes. Sayori had to chuckle at his impatience, causing his cheeks to colour a pinkish hue and earning himself a smirk from the silverette. This was why she called him cute. He caught her amusement and glared at her, though it wasn’t in the least bit intimidating when it was bottomed by a blush. 

“Shut up!” the blonde hissed and the silverette innocently pulled up her shoulders, her hands in the pockets of her skirt. 

“I didn’t even say anything” she pointed out, but she didn’t need to either. Her eyes were expressive enough to tease him and he was just too easy to rile up. She could practically see him bristle before he turned his face away from her, haughtily pushing his chin up into the air. 

“Ah-haa, I regret buying you-” he started before cutting himself off, his eyes widening at the ceiling. Zero frowned at the part of the sentence she had heard, glancing sideways to see Sayori give the blonde a pointed look that looked suspiciously like a warning. 

“Buy me what? Why would you buy me anything?” the silverette asked and the aristocrat avoided meeting her gaze, making it painfully obvious that he was hiding something. Something the rose-blonde was in on.  

“It’s nothing” Aidou lied, lavender eyes narrowing at him. 

“Busa” she warned, causing the blonde to turn his head away even further. 

“I’m not telling you!” he said and Zero continued to stare at him, knowing he would be able to feel her gaze. 

“Telling me what?” she pushed, making the aristocrat let out an agonizing groan while clutching his hair, turning his unnervingly blue eyes at her. 

“Can’t you wait for a few seconds?! You’ll know it once we get to the dining area!” he told her and the silverette huffed as she turned her face forward without breaking eye-contact. 

“Who says I’m still going to the dining room after hearing that there is something?” she questioned, watching his face fall in disappointment. 

“You’re kidding me, right? Please tell me you’re kidding me” he said, almost sounding like he was pleading her. She closed her eyes as she exhaled a sigh.  

“I was just pulling your leg, Busa. Relax. I have no intention of skipping my breakfast because you have something planned” she told him, not even needing to look at him to know his shoulders sagged in relief. However, as soon as they entered the dining area, Zero wanted to take back her words, turn around and walk away without even acknowledging what was waiting for her. The second she stepped inside the room, she heard singing, Yuuki being the loudest while the others remained more subdued. Yet it still caused a grimace to pull down the corners of the silverette’s mind. Yori and Aidou, realizing she would escape the first chance she saw, took it upon them to hook their arm with each of hers, securing her in between them and preventing her from trying to find an opening to get away. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me” the Hio princess breathed as she stared shocked at the king’s inner circle and the two Kurans, all of them standing around the table that displayed what she was sure was a blueberry buckle with lemon glaze. She turned her attention to Aidou next to her, knowing that she had only told him that it was her favourite. The blonde was making a point of it not to meet her accusing gaze, dragging her towards the table while the silverette mentally checked the date. 

Great. She had forgotten her own birthday. 

Not the one that had been adjusted by her father, but the true date of her birth. The day she had been born in the Hio mansion. 

“Happy birthday, Zero!” Yuuki exclaimed, bouncing forward with an excitement that the taller pureblood could tell was forced. Her relationship with the Kuran princess had been anything but friendly, barely even bordering civil. But the brunette seemed to love to ignore this fact as she gave the older vampire a one-sided hug with a wide smile on her face. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were born on this day? I always thought it was the 28th of October” she said accusingly as she pulled back from the embrace Zero didn’t bother answering even when her arms had been free. She didn’t bother answering either, turning her own accusing look to the progenitor. 

“I shouldn’t have told you” she said sharply but Kaname was unimpressed, smiling at her. 

“Your birth is something to be celebrated, Zero, not ignored” she told him, a statement that received full agreement from his inner circle. She regretted telling the older pureblood about her true birthdate during one of their conversations, even when she had carelessly let it drop. She hadn’t expected him to actually remember something as insignificant as her birthday and she wasn’t quite sure why this fact made her stomach tingle with warmth. She pushed it down, averting her gaze from the pureblood she could still recall from her little episode in her shower. The last thing she needed to do was actively try to imagine what he would look like without his clothes on, especially in a public place.  

“And you guys are just here for the food, right” she said and Ruka stepped forward. 

“Not exactly” she said, holding out a flat rectangular package that was wrapped cleanly with gift paper. Zero barely cut back a grimace at the sight, knowing that it would not be appreciated when the ash-blonde woman had gone through the trouble to buy her a birthday gift, regardless of how unnecessary it was. Well-mannered, the silverette accepted the extended gift, not showing more than a hint of reluctance as she started unwrapping the packaging under the curious attention of the other night class students that made up the ancestor’s inner circle. Zero blinked when she lifted the lid of the black box, seeing a pair of earrings rest on top of a pillow.  

They were surprisingly simple with a strip of thick mint-green fabric dangling from a small gold hoop. The ribbon had the length of her hand from the tip of her middle finger to her wrist, shaped in a form that resembled a stretched-out triangle. The hoops were a little bigger than the ones she currently wore but looked a little thicker. She wasn’t quite sure how the other vampire had found out about her favourite colour, but she was strangely grateful for the gift.  

“This is… actually not that bad. Thank you” she said as she looked up at the ash-blonde, seeing her smile relieved that her gift had been well-received. 

“I’m glad. I thought green might be your favourite colour since you seem so attached to that ribbon in your hair” Ruka said as she watched the silverette removed the silver hoops from her ears to exchange them for the newly received earrings, the weight a little heavier than her previous ones but not by much. 

“Open mine next” Takuma said as he stepped up next to the young woman, earning an indignant sound from the blue-eyed blonde. 

“Hey! I was going to go next!” he said but the green-eyes aristocrat was already handing over his gift. Zero opened the wrapping that was taped around a square carton box. Takuma warned her about the fragility of his gift, causing her to be careful as she opened the box and pulled out the thick brown paper that protected the pink tea-cup with matching saucer. It wasn’t a regular tea-cup since both items were made from pink glass, the edges shaped in uneven waves while the cup itself was decorated by hand-painted flowers. Truly, it was quite a beautiful item that Zero had no idea where he got it from but appreciated none the less. She wasn’t sure if the amount of furin in her room was enough of a hint to convey how much she likes glass and the way the light would hit it. 

“This is my gift” Aidou said as he barely even gave the silverette the time to thank the head of the Ichijou family before holding out a stick that was wrapped at least four times, making her curse as she struggled to unwrap it. However, as soon as she had gotten through the paper, she was stunned to lay her eyes on a Chinese straight sword. Both the guard and the scabbard were black, decorated with gold rings, the hilt separated from the sheath by a rectangular guard that was decorated with a gold dragon, the pommel a round golden ball. As she unsheathed the sword to check the blade, the centre of it was carved and decorated by the tale of a dragon who travelled through the clouds. 

“Busa” she breathed, looking up at the blonde who smiled proudly, reading her awe from her face even when her expression barely showed it. 

“It will not be as impressive as my cousins, but I hope that it’s not useless” Kain said as he held out his own gift. Zero carefully put aside her sword to accept the present, unwrapping it to see a stack of three books that had her flush a little. Aidou must have let her preference for tacky romance novels slip, though she was grateful for it because she had yet to read the ones she had received. 

“Thanks. It’s not useless” she told him, though somewhat embarrassed. Luckily, Rima and Shiki came to her rescue before she could become uncomfortable, silently handing over the gifts they had for her. Shiki had gone for a couple of enka CDs and a cookbook she had had her eye on for a while, while Rima gifted her with two belly-button piercings. One with a rose-gold lotus flower dangling from it and the other with three small roses ranging from white to pink to red. Sayori gifted her with a traditional Japanese ink set, complete with ink stones and brushes. Surprisingly, even Yuuki had prepared a present as well, giving the silverette a set of bath-luxuries based on the scent of cherry blossoms. 

“This arrived for you as well” Takuma said as he mentioned the rather large box on the table next to the buckle, the one gift that wasn’t wrapped. As the silverette lifted the lid, she saw an envelope resting on top of petrol blue fabric. She didn’t even need to read the message that came with the present to know that it was one from Yuuya and Aguri, lifting the fabric out of the box to reveal a hikizuri kimono with a gold obi resting on the bottom of the box, decorated with the Hio family emblem all over it in a beehive pattern. The sight received a few awed gasps before the silverette returned the kimono back to the box, carefully folding it before placing the lid back on it, keeping the envelope inside of it to read later. 

She startled when she felt someone step up behind her as she straightened up, looking over her shoulder right as arms moved over her head to her front. Before she had even met Kaname’s gaze, she turned her attention to the item in between pale hands. She blinked at the sight of a subtle necklace. A thin gold chain was connect to each side of a small circle, on that had two chains dangling from the bottom. On the ends of the two thin chains was a tiny gold ball, only a little larger then one of the chain links. It marked the beginning of a tassel made from the same dainty chain, both ending on different heights. The material was cold as it touched her chin where she refused to fully button her dress shirt up. 

“It’s a karma necklace” Kaname spoke up behind her, his voice closer than she had expected as the necklace was closed in her nape. 

“What goes around, comes around” he continued, gently lifting her ponytail up to take it from underneath the chain. She could practically feel his hands as they touched her hair, brushing it much like he had done in her imagination under the shower. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to move away from him, almost spellbound by his presence and the way he was touching her, even when he wasn’t touching her skin. 

“It is worn to reminder to keep the circle positive, peaceful and loving” he told her, his fingers brushing the necklace in her nape to make sure the chain wasn’t twisted, the heat of his fingertips seeping into her skin and causing goose-bumps to break out across the surface around the places he was touching her. A shiver ran down her spine as he followed the chain to where it rested in the junction between her shoulders and her neck, his touch lingering longer than what was appropriate between friends. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to shake him off and move away from him this time either, turning her head just enough to meet his gaze from the corner of her eyes as he smiled down on her. 

“It suits you” he complimented her, the exchange not having gone unnoticed by the others, even when he removed his hands before any human could have noticed the difference. Not that they were among humans. They were among vampires, who had all been looking at them from the start, and none of them were ignorant enough not to notice the exchange. Well, no-one but Yuuki, who all but pushed a piece of buckle on a plate into the silverette’s hands. 

Or perhaps the exchange was exactly why she had suddenly distracted herself with dividing the cake substitute.  


	15. Princess of the Hio clan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

Zero wished she could say she was surprised, but she really wasn’t. She was more observant than that and had noticed something had been going on for a while now. However, she had not expected Kain to show up on her doorstep. He didn’t strike her as the type to go to someone for help or even a listening ear, specifically her of all people. While they might be on amiable terms, it wasn’t like they were friends or even close enough for him to think of confiding in her. Or at least, so she had thought. As she looked at him standing in front of her door, his gaze averted from her and his shoulders drawn up tensely, she could tell he was there for a talk. She didn’t have to look far for the reason either. 

“Let me guess, this is about Yuuki” she said, though there was not a single ounce of doubt in her voice that implied her words to be a question or even a guess. Kain turned his gaze to her in surprise before lowering his chin in a nod that couldn’t really be called one, but Zero knew it was. 

“Hanabusa and Ruka told me to come here. I was hesitating” he admitted and the silverette heaved a soft sigh as she stepped aside, pulling the door with her to allow him entrance into her dorm-room. 

“I can tell” she said, closing the door behind him as he walked past her, stopping to take off his shoes. It was obvious that he felt out of place as he looked around the room, his hands pushed in the pockets of his trousers. 

“Your roommate?” he asked, glancing back to see the silverette walk away from the door she had closed, approaching him. 

“At Yuuki’s, to help her get dressed for tonight” Zero responded before looking up at the taller vampire as she stopped next to him. “But if you feel more comfortable there, we can go in my room so we don’t risk getting interrupted or overheard.”  

Kain didn’t answer verbally, merely giving her a nod of his head and allowing her to lead the short way to her bedroom, his eyes widening when he stepped inside. The light of the undergoing sun streamed through the pureblood’s window at just the right angle to catch the glass chimes dangling from the silverette’s ceiling, reflecting it towards the ones the rays did not reach and causing shimmers of various colours to dance around her room. Personally, she preferred to see the light in the morning, when the first rays of sunlight hit the glass. At that time of the day, the colour of the sky did not interfere with the reflections of the glass, but this seemed impressive enough to the strawberry-blonde male. 

“The others warned me that this room was overwhelming, but I hadn’t quite expected it to be like this” Kain commented and Zero didn’t blame him. The contrast between the living area that was all but empty and her bedroom that was so overwhelmingly full with mismatched furniture and little trinkets, was startling. Not to mention that everything about her spoke of how she preferred the simpler things in life, yet her room was anything but. The first time the other aristocrats had entered her room, they had been just as shocked. Ruka had actually gone back outside and entered again, to check if she had the correct room. Shiki and Rima, although their expressions were quite stony, Zero had been able to tell they had spaced out until she had called out for their attention. Their disbelieving reactions had been quite amusing. 

“I didn’t actually mean to come here” the fire-wielder admitted as he scratched the back of his head, looking every inch as uncomfortable as he no doubt felt. His eyes were moving around her room, landing on everything that wasn’t her. It was odd for the Hio princess to see the usually laid-back aristocrat so nervous in such an obvious way. She had made him nervous before, when she had threatened him and tossed him over her shoulder, but this was different. 

“The others were all subtly directing me here, telling me to go to you when something is wrong. Hanabusa and Ruka were less subtle about it and insisted that I needed to seek you out if Yuuki became too much. But I didn’t want to come here or trouble you with my problems. My feet just carried me here before I knew it” he said and Zero sat down on the edge of her bed, leaning back on her hands behind her. The strawberry-blonde was talking a lot more than she was used to from him but that just showed how uncomfortable he was. Both with being here and with the fact that he felt the need to seek her out like the others had suggested. The pureblood wasn’t sure why the others would urge him to do so, but she brushed it off. 

“Since you’re already here, better make it worth it. I’ll be troubled if you just stand there without doing anything but waste my time” she told him, crossing her ankles where they rested against the edge of the stair below her bed. The aristocrat regarded her before he forced his shoulders to lower slightly. 

“How did you know it was about Yuuki-sama?” Kain asked and Zero waved his question off with a scoff as she looked up at the ceiling of her bed. 

“Ever since she awakened, when is it not?” she retorted and the strawberry-blonde could not say anything back to that. Yuuki was truly turning her brother’s entire inner court against her with her attempts at breaking them up, doing the exact opposite of what she was trying to achieve. Though perhaps, part of her plan was working. While the inner court seemed to knit together even tighter than before, it was true that Kaname was too busy with his attention-desperate sister to truly notice it when something was wrong with his friends, who no longer confided in him. Then again, had they ever confided in him in the first place? Had Kaname ever spoke to them when he noticed something was wrong with them? Zero wasn’t sure. A few months ago, her answer would have been a solid no. She wouldn’t even have been able to imagine the ancestor doing something as mundane as comfort people below him. But after she had gotten to know him, she knew he had quite a soft centre, shoved deep down to prevent anyone from taking advantage of it. 

Vampire society was cruel for purebloods and the only way they could truly show that they cared was by little gestures, most of them that were hidden. Zero was observant enough to notice the amount of chocolate there had been in the morning after Shiki had run away, or how a servant never failed to deliver fresh lavender to Aidou’s room each time the previous batch started to dry out or loose scent. She noticed how the soft sounds of the piano drifted through the dorms whenever Ruka was feeling down and the lack of outside noise when Rima returned from a photoshoot during the day. It was impossible to look past the blanket that was draped over Seiren’s sleeping form in the sofa during the rare times she was able to get some rest from her investigations, knowing that the only person who could approach her without waking her up was the Kuran king. When Kain was tired or bothered by something, the temperature in the dorm was raised by a few degrees, causing the man to be a little more at ease, surrounded by warmth.  

Kaname did not do any of this to gain recognition or gratitude, so Zero remained silent about it. 

“What did she do now?” the young pureblood asked and Kain reached up to scratch the back of his neck, looking embarrassed more than uncomfortable. 

“It’s ridiculous” he said and Zero raised an eyebrow at him. 

“If it is, why are you here?” she asked and orange-hazel eyes turned to her in surprise before he averted his gaze again. The silverette continued to regard him even when he could not bring himself to meet her gaze as he searched for a way to put his troubles into words. Judging by his sigh and the way his shoulders slumped, Zero could tell he decided to just throw it out in the open, regardless of any embarrassment or unease he might feel. 

“She told me Ruka would never look at me in the same way I look at her because she is head over heels with Kaname-sama and that it is no surprise because I will never be able to compare to him” he said in one breath, the rather rushed explanation catching the Hio princess off guards, causing her eyes to widen. More than the fact that she finally saw a hint of relation between the fire-user and his ice-wielding cousin, was the expression on his face that startled her. His brows were furrowed, drawn together in both displeasure and ache that was reflected in both his eyes and the down-turned curve of his lips.  

“You’re a lot more sensitive than you let on, aren’t you? I didn’t think you’d be this easy to manipulate” she said, a statement that was answered with a rueful smile that screamed ‘guilty as charged’. 

“I’m aware of it, and there is no-one who hates that fact more than I do” he answered as he moved over to the tansu stairs, turning around after stepping onto the lowest stair to sit down. His hand brushed against one of the cabinets, causing it to fall open, the contents spilling out on the floor with loud clattering that startled him but not Zero. She should have seen this coming. 

“I knew I needed to move some of them to a different cabinet” she said as she frowned at the pile of mint-green and white daggers that were laying on the ground, their gold finish catching the light. 

“So Hanabusa wasn’t lying when he said this room existed for eighty percent out of weapons” Kain said, looking somewhat uncomfortable at the sight of the weapons as he stepped off the storage stairs again at the same time Zero stood up. 

“Are they anti-vampire?” he asked warily as he watched her crouch next to the pile, relieved when she shook her head negative. He helped pick up the daggers, placing the ones the pureblood didn’t toss onto her bed back in the cabinet they had fallen out of. 

“It’s safe to sit on now” she told the aristocrat but the man wasn’t going to risk it, leaning against the storage furniture instead, folding his arms across his chest as she sat back down on her bed. 

“If you came here for relationship advice, you’ve come to the wrong address” the silverette warned, mindlessly picking up one of the daggers to play around with. She twirled the weapon around in her hand, letting it run between her fingers before allowing it to spin around like a spinning-top on the back of her middle finger, using the knuckles of her index and her ring finger to keep it going.  

“I think it goes without saying that I have no experience whatsoever when it comes to that” she added, remaining silent about the fact that at the moment, she could use some advice on the matters of love and feelings as well. She shoved away the faces that popped up in her head unbidden, refusing to think about them. One of them was dead by her own hand, the other was engaged to be wed and the third one. Well, she wasn’t quite sure about the third one. Ichiru had mentioned a few times that he looked at her as if she was his to possess, but she didn’t know what to think about him. Perhaps her brother had been over-protective of her and had misinterpreted Kaito’s protective feelings over her as a sibling-in-arms, as possessive feelings. 

“I’m not in any position to judge you or give you advice, but I can tell you what I think you should do” she said before she tossed the dagger into the air with a flick of her finger, looking away from the twirling item as she met his gaze. 

“Grow a pair and ask her out” she said as she caught the dagger on the back of her fingers again, weaving it in between the digits as she saw his eyes widen. 

“Yuuki is full off shit and you can just ignore everything that passes her lips because she loves the sound of her own voice more than she believes in logic” she said, seeing a twinge of what could be considered amusement flash across his face before it disappeared behind insecurity again. Zero really disliked that look on his face. It didn’t suit him at all. 

“I can’t say for sure that Ruka is not in love with Kaname because I’m not her and I don’t know how she feels. But neither do you and you never will unless you grow some balls and tell her what you feel, because she knows just as much about your feelings as you do about hers” she told him and the fire-user's shoulders drew up as he inhaled, but remained there tensely. 

“What if she answers no?” he asked and the pureblood regarded him calmly, feeling none of his anxiety.  

“What if she answers yes?” she shot back before catching the dagger by the sheath, stopping it from spinning as she held the taller vampire’s gaze, not allowing him to avert his eyes like she had before. 

“You never know what answer you will get unless you ask the question. And so what if she says no? At least you will have made her aware of your feelings and with extension, of you. From that point on, it’s up to you to win her over” she added and watched his eyebrows pull together in doubt. 

“But compared to Kaname-sama-” 

“Fuck that. You don’t need to compare yourself to anyone. She will do that enough for the both of you. The only thing you need to do is proof that just because you’re different from Kaname, doesn’t mean that you’re less than him because you aren’t. Nobody is better or worse than anyone else. They're just different. You just need to prove that your ‘different’ is the different she never knew she needed” Zero said, suddenly sounding a lot like she was giving advice instead of her opinion. Well, whatever. Once spoken, words couldn’t be taken back and she was never one to think about doing so anyway. What was said, was said and that was that. Kain sighed as he lowered his chin, looking at the floor in front of him with a small smile that was still somewhat forced, but with hints of relief and hope as well. 

“That’s going to be hard, isn’t it?” he guessed and Zero lifted an eyebrow. 

“Isn’t she worth it, though?” she asked and saw those orange-hazel orbs rise up to meet her lavender ones, the hesitation and doubt disappearing from his smile as it turned fond. He didn’t have to say anything, for the answer was written all over his face. She was worth it for him and that was all that mattered. 

“Well, now that my daily moment as psychologist has passed, the practice is closed. You should return to your room and get ready for tonight” she suggested and Kain pushed off from the storage stairs.  

“Thank you for taking me seriously” he said and the silverette stood up, dropping the dagger on her bed again. 

“I’m sure you can find your way outside on your own” she said as she reached up for the top button of the dress-shirt Aidou had given her, seeing the strawberry-blonde turn away immediately with more reserve than his blue-eyed cousin. 

“No problem” he assured her before all but high-tailing out there. Zero almost found it funny, that Kain treated her with more respect than Aidou did when the smaller blonde had known about her status first. Then again, the ice-user had promised her he wouldn’t treat her any differently while she had not been able to ask the same of the others. They didn’t revere her the same way they worshiped Kaname, but they did treat her with some level of veneration. She had not gotten used to it yet and dreaded the night to come. To be honest, she had been against this gala from the moment Kaname had informed her of it. They were literally grasping at straws about these attacks with hidden weapons, Seiren was gone ninety percent of the time and she hadn’t heard from Yuuya in a week, and then she wasn’t even bringing up Yuuki. The last thing they needed was a lush party with stuck-up vampires, but the blood-suckers demanded it after rumours had spread about a new pureblood and Kaname’s new council did not yet have the full trust of the race. Alas, why the Kuran king had not been able to brush off one of the society’s oldest traditions. 

But like hell Zero was going in unarmed. 

She pulled open the palest wooden cabinet, the painted flowers on the doors shimmering as she revealed the only thing that was inside. Stored with a precision that bordered on OCD, was her battle armour, though it couldn’t really be called that when it barely covered anything of her body. But then again, that was sort of the point. The less she wore, the freer she was able to move. But less didn’t mean she wasn’t able to carry as much weapons as she normally would. In fact, everything about her battle-armour was designed to carry as much weapons as possible, up to six sets. That was a shit-load of daggers and then she wasn’t talking about the other weapons she was able to put away in her attire, but she doubted she would need the all tonight. Instead, she settled for only the bottom part of her attire, pulling on the white hotpants that fitted just tight enough not to cut off her circulation. Attached to the right side of the mini shorts with a garter belt, was a thigh high made up out of criss-crossing straps that went down from the middle of her thigh to her knee. The left side had a regular white thigh high, but with three mint-green straps wrapped horizontally around her limb. 

Her knees were protected with oval-shaped ornate pads, decorated with darkened gold and hints of mint-green, the same outwardly curving pads that were found protecting the front of her ankle, secured over the heeled white boots that clad her feet with matching spats that covered her entire shin, up to just below her knees, underneath the pads. She sought support on her bedframe as she lifted her foot to tighten the laces against her calf, making sure her boots fitted properly and she did not need to worry about anything coming undone. The heels were no higher than three inches and fitted comfortably at her foot, similar enough to resemble ballroom shoes if she removed the curved plate protecting the top of her ankle, fitting in with the idiotic theme of the stupid gala that Yuuki had chosen. She placed the ankle guards back in the cabinet before shutting it and turning to the daggers on her bed. Sliding them into place was almost too ease when her battle-attire was designed around her weapons, able to secure a little over half a set on each leg, more than the blades that had fallen on the ground before, causing her to turn to her cabinets for more.  

She wasn’t taking any chances tonight.  

When she was satisfied with the amount of weaponry on her body, she turned to the dress Ruka and Rima had picked out for her to wear when she had admitted she had planned on just wearing her uniform. She had to admit, it could have been worse. Much worse. The gown wasn’t anything gaudy or flashy but had just the right amount of detailing to draw attention without demanding it. The colour was light dusty lilac at the top and grew darker the lower it went, a deep plum at the bottom that fanned out in ruffles dangling from the tips of the sequin triangle pattern that ended a little below her hips. The pattern ran up the gown all the way to the neck where an upturned triangle was cut out and only a band of silver sequins was left to cover her collarbones, attaching one shoulder-strap to the other. There were no sleeves and nothing loose dangled from any part of the dress except the ruffles of her skirt, but even those were minimalistic. It fitted like a glove, though, and the bottom wasn’t nearly as heavy as it appeared with the amount of fabric that was present.  

She wondered if her shoes mismatched her gown but decided she didn’t care right after, leaving her room to seek out the others. They were easy enough to find, gathered in the foyer. Not all of them were ready yet, but Rima and Shiki were seated in one of the sofa’s, snacking on the last pocky they would be able to eat for the night while Takuma was standing next to them, telling one story or the other to the redheaded vampire. To her surprise, Kain was already with them, but then again, he had already worn half his attire when he had sought her out and he hadn’t bothered with a bowtie like the two other males, leaving the top of his white dress-shirt unbuttoned. The green-eyed blonde was the first one to notice her, sending her a disarming smile. 

“Looks like our company is already half complete. We’re still waiting for Aidou, Ruka, Kaname, Yori-chan and Yuuki-sama” he said as she reached the last stairs, his voice cheery despite how she knew he too had expressed concern over holding a gala with everything that was going on. 

“You can scrap me off that list” Ruka’s voice came from above them at the top of the stairs, drawing their attention as she descended, the white feathered hem of her dress billowing around her ankles. The skirt grew darker the higher one looked, most of the gown a purple-tinted dark grey with long sleeves covering every inch of arms, thin wisps of dark lilac satin dangling from her wrists. Black sequins ran down from her shoulders and the deep v-cut neckline to her waist in the same disorganized manner as raindrops ran down a window. Her hair was done up in a simple do with only her bangs left to cover her forehead. 

“Zero, you can’t be serious” she said before anyone could compliment her or make a comment, sending the pureblood a displeased look as she upped her pace, lifting up the front of her gown. 

“You’re not planning on keeping your hair down like that, right? It’ll get in the way when you’re going to dance” she pointed out as the silverette sat in the sofa across from Rima and Shiki, resisting the urge to heave a sigh. 

“I’m not going to dance” she answered and Ruka scoffed. 

“Of course you are. This is a gala to introduce you to our society. Everyone there will want to dance with you” she reminded the silverette who crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap. 

“Just because they want to dance with me, doesn’t mean I have to” Zero responded, for a moment, turning the ash-blonde speechless. Kain and Shiki seemed to agree with Zero while Takuma smiled trouble, obviously agreeing with Ruka. 

“Zero-chan, I hate to say it, but the guests at this gala are very… how should I say it?” the green-eyed vampire hesitated, glancing away as he sought for a kinder word that was laying on the tip of his tongue. 

“Arrogant? Snobbish? Stuck-up? Conceited? Lordly? Patronizing? Self-important?” Zero suggested several synonyms, yet not one that sounded like the kinder word the aristocrat had been searching for. She closed her eyes as she shook her head softly. 

“I am well aware that every guest at this party thinks the moon, earth and sun orbits around their ass. They’ll be insulted if I refuse them and that is a blow the vulnerable peace we have today can’t withstand” she said before opening her eyes again. 

“However, I have no intention of becoming like my mother or like Kuran. I am not a treasure for them to put on a pedestal and drool over like I am a god they can look at but not touch, wanting but unable to have. I am the next president of the hunter’s association and if they don’t treat me like I am, that will be just as big a blow to this stalemate between the races. The hunters will not take well to their next leader being treated like a high-class buffet only a select few can indulge in, if they play their cards right” she said, remembering the hostility that had been aimed towards her when she had first come out to the Hunter’s association and the distrust that had followed after she had sworn to them she might be a pureblood by nature, but she was a hunter at heart. She needed to prove herself to the hunters in order for them to trust her and listen to her when she took over from Kaien and her sensei. The last thing they needed right now, was for the Hunter’s association to fall apart because they did not agree with the president leading them. 

“This and that have nothing to do with looking pretty. A woman, regardless of who they are, has the right to look the best they can. For a woman in a position of power, it is not a right, but a requirement. If they look anything but perfect, how will they be taken seriously?” Ruka asked, not backing down as she stood in front of the huntress with her hands in her hips, holding the sharp lavender gaze with a bravery she had not possessed before she had gotten to know the silverette better. Now that she knew the pureblood’s glares and threats were harmless when they were directed as someone she had accepted, she was no longer intimidated. 

“I’ll do it” Rima said as she stood up, stepping in before the two stubborn mules could start a discussion that would last for weeks, neither of them wanting to give up even when they realized the other had a point. Because she was the only vampire neither of the two headstrong women could draw into their discussion, she had already defused more than eight of those discussions. Her deep forest-green gown billowed around her ankles, a tight velvet fabric in the same colour dressing her upper-body from hip to chest, skin-toned sheer giving the illusion that her arms and collarbones were covered with sparkles, green sheer dangling from her fore-arms. Ruka was pleased with the suggestion while Zero closed her eyes in resignation. In a few seconds in with a few pins that had been stuck in her pig-tails, she had three flower buns lined up in the back of the silverette’s head, hiding the separation between the upper part of her hair that was done up and the lower part that remained down. 

“That’s better” Ruka said with a pleased nod, looking up at the ice-user that leaned on the railing of the staircase, resting his chin on top of his folded arms. 

“Much too delicate for someone like Zero, who’s likely going to have nothing but mass murder on her mind tonight” Aidou said and Zero scoffed but didn’t deny.  

“As long as I don’t act on it, all’s well, right” she said, looking over her shoulder to meet blue orbs that sparkled with mischievousness before turning her head further to her impromptu hairdresser. 

“Thank you, Rima” she said her gratitude accepted with a curt nod, as her sensitive ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps. 

“How do you like your dress?” Ruka asked, drawing the silverette’s attention away from the trio she could hear further down the hallway. She turned her gaze forward to the one who had helped pick out the dress she was asking about. 

“It fits well, but bares a little too much of my chest” the pureblood answered, hearing Aidou scoff as he stepped up next to the sofa she was occupying, sitting down on the arm-leaning next to her while he looked down at her rather pointedly. 

“Everything you wear shows off half of your chest, but you can have it” the blonde said, causing Zero to lift an eyebrow at him while Ruka flushed at her cousin’s bluntness. 

“Hanabusa! You can’t say something like that! And stop staring at her so obviously!” the ash-blonde aristocrat scolded her cousin, looking like she wanted to hit him over the head. She would have probably done it if they had been alone, judging by the way said cousin flinched away. 

“I haven’t said anything that is untrue! Besides, Zero is used to it! I’ve seen it all before anyway!” the aristocrat defended himself, but in the absolutely wrong way. 

“Seen what before?” Yuuki asked as she descended the stairs, asking a useless question considering how large her hearing range was. Almost immediately, the relaxed and amiable atmosphere that had been in the foyer disappeared at the sight of the Kuran princess, changing into something that was filled with dislike and resignation, knowing that the Kuran siblings were a package deal. Fortunately, the youngest pureblood was incapable of reading the mood, or she just chose to ignore it opposite to the way she was impossible to ignore. However, compared to the gaudy things she sometimes like to wear, her gown was surprisingly modest, dressing her in a sleeveless peach gown with applique covering her entire upper-body in the shape of a flower, baring a little too much of her underdeveloped chest. The fabric of the skirt changed into chiffon at around the middle of her thighs, a long flowing ribbon of satin attached from her shimmer shoulder-straps to the cuffs around her wrist. Her hair was done up in a smooth chignon with not a single strand out of place, even her bangs brushed away from her forehead. 

Zero’s gaze brushed over the youngest Kuran towards her brother, knowing by the expression in his eyes that he had definitely noticed the change in their mood and was not pleased with the information Aidou had let slip. Though, that was the second thing the Hio princess noticed. The first thing Zero had taken note of, was the fact that even though all men wore a similar black and white tailcoat tuxedo, the ancestor made it seem as if the attire had been designed especially for him and him alone. For a change, his hair was slicked back, making him appear more mature than usual, while the glare in his eyes made him seem colder, harder to approach. The huntress felt her chest tighten, displeased with the look on his face and the distance it put between them even when it was not directed at her but at the ice-user. However, as soon as those wine-coloured orbs shifted to her, warmth melted the ice-age that had been in his gaze, causing the silverette’s heart to give a harsh beat against her ribcage. 

“You look beautiful, Wakaba-san” Aidou’s voice drew Zero out of her thoughts, looking over at where the blue-eyed blonde was standing in front of the former human with a red flush on his face that infected the rose-blonde. She released the breath she hadn’t known she had been holding, the tightness in her chest loosening and allowing her to breathe again, focussing on something other than the king’s gaze on her, intense enough to feel like a featherlight touch. 

“T-thank you” Sayori stuttered out a response as she reached one hand up to her neck, lowering her eyes in embarrassment. The aristocrat was right, though. In fact, in the silverette’s humble opinion, the level C vampire looked better than the master who had turned her and who she had been trailing after. The dead look immediately vanished from her face as she was addressed by the blonde vampire, the blush on her cheeks outshining the pale pink gown that clad her form. The bodice of the dress was split up diagonally in two parts, the bottom part a satin fabric and the upper part a shimmering fabric with a few subtle silver tassels dangling sporadically, all the way down one of her arms in a one-shoulder neckline. From both her wrists dangled string of pink chiffon, one from her sleeve and one from a cuff. It was clear she wasn’t used to the dangly bits yet. 

“She does, doesn’t she? I picked out the dress because I knew she would look pretty in it” Yuuki said, preening as if she was the one who had been complimented and eagerly latching onto the chance of making herself feel more important and accomplished. 

“Shall we go?” Zero suggested as she smoothly got to her feet, unwilling to hear any more of the princess’s bullshit. She didn’t want to find out just how much she could subtly praise herself before she actually made the Hio princess feel sick. 

“Yes, we wouldn’t want to be too late and miss our own party” Yuuki said, as if the taller pureblood had been talking to her. The smile on her face was genuine and her laugh jokingly, but there were tense lines in her face that told Zero she was fully aware of how strained their relationship was. Yet, she hadn’t made a move to apologize, even when she knew she had been wrong and the Hio princess had every reason to be angry with her. Hell, she had every right to shoot her and she hadn’t.  

“The sooner we get there, the sooner this farce will be over with” Zero corrected as she brushed past the Kuran princess, feeling Aidou link his arm with hers. 

“I’m riding with you” he announced, sending her a side-way look that begged her not to let him drive with the youngest pureblood. The next president scoffed with a roll of her eyes before looking over her shoulder at the turned vampire. 

“Wakaba, you coming?” she asked and Sayori perked up before striding past her master without giving the girl a glance, whispering a thank-you at the older vampire in a voice soft enough only she and Aidou could hear her as she stepped up next to them. The blonde smiled at her while Zero responded with no more than a hum, not surprised when she saw Shiki and Rima step up closely behind them in a silent statement that they had no intention of being stuck in the same car as Yuuki either. Ruka, Kain and Takuma weren’t as lucky as them, but they visibly comforted themselves with the fact that Kaname had to suffer through the same fate. Zero chuckled in sadistic amusement in the privacy of her own mind when she saw the deadpan look in the ancestor’s eyes as his descendant was already chatting away a mile an hour while she stepped into the car that was held open for her, uncaring for a listening ear or not. As if he could feel her gaze on him, sienna red eyes turned to her, meeting her own lavender orbs. A spark of amusement lit up his dim orbs, bringing them to life before they disappeared behind the car-door as both of them slid into the backseat. 

The silence in the car was filled by Aidou briefing Zero about who would be present at the gala, summing up what seemed to be the entire vampire population by name, age, rank, family, loyalty and annoyance level. Sayori looked like she was overwhelmed by the information the Hio princess already knew about, while Rima and Shiki were focussed on the last package of pocky they were able to stuff away before they reached the gala. Judging by the disappointed looks on their faces, the box was empty quicker than they had hoped. The huntress almost laughed at the resignation on the redhead’s face as he was silently comforted by the blonde next to him with a pat on his shoulder. 

“Here” Zero said, reaching out a hand to them. Shiki looked up, extending his hands like a bowl to catch the bright pink petals that fell from the silverette’s hand, shimmering in the moonlight that streamed through the windows of the moving car. 

“It’s not chocolate, but it is rather sweet” she said, looking at the candied peach blossom petals. She didn’t bother telling them to throw it away if they didn’t want to eat it, knowing Shiki would sooner stab himself than waste perfectly good food and Rima would eat it as long as her partner ate it.  

“Hey, are you listening to what I’m saying?” Aidou asked, leaning forward to get in the huntress’s face to make sure he had her attention. 

“Not when you’re telling me things I already know, no” Zero responded matter-of-factly as she regarded the aristocrat next to her. 

“You’re ranting. Why are you so nervous?” she asked and the ice-user bristled, almost as if he couldn’t believe the pureblood could ask such a thing. 

“Because today you will be introduced to our society as Hio Shizuka’s daughter! This entire gala is because of that! That’s a big thing!” he said and the silverette raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Then shouldn’t I be the one to be nervous instead of you?” she asked and Aidou’s mouth opened and closed as he struggled to find an answer but was unable to do so, causing him to let out a wail that sounded like a dying bear-cub. Sayori seemed to find it entertaining, though, and Zero bit down a chortle at the sight of the aristocrat’s face catching fire when he heard the sound of the rose-blonde's chuckle that was badly muffled by her hand. She averted her eyes from Aidou’s glare, meeting Shiki and Rima’s amused looks before she directed her attention outside, at the landscape the flew past. 

Soon enough, the car slowed down, passing through the gates that were guarded by two hunters she knew. She knew she did not need to look out for Kaito since Kaien and Yagari had send him on an investigation, but it was still comforting to know the security of this stupid gala didn’t land on her shoulders alone. She loathed this idiotic, unnecessary gathering already and she was sure she would feel the same way after it had ended. Judging by the expressions of her travel-companions, she didn’t have to fear infecting their mood for they felt the same way. The only one who was excited about this was Yuuki, who had organized the entire thing, saying it was her duty as the fiancée of the vampire King. Zero remembered the look on Kaname’s face right before he scolded his sister, reminding her of the fact that their society was ruled by a council, not a King. She doubted this fact had gotten through to the Kuran princess, though. 

Zero flinched when she felt a finger flick against her forehead, looking in surprise at courageous soul stupid enough to do something like that to her. 

“You’re brooding again. Stop that” Aidou said, unaffected by her gaze that changed into a glare. Zero lifted a hand, pressing her palm into the blonde’s face to push his head away. 

“I’m not brooding, I’m annoyed” she said, allowing the blue-eyed aristocrat to slap away her hand, lowering it at her side as she glanced around the hallway they were walking through, making their way to the commotion they could hear inside the ballroom of the building, where nearly the entire vampire society was gathered to greet the new pureblood. Zero already wanted to turn around and refuse to take a step further unless it took her away from the farce that took place behind those double doors at the end of the hallway. She knew she couldn’t, though. 

“If they really wanted to meet me, why not just do so during a meeting? Why is a gala needed? It’s a scream for attention, drawing moths to a flame, moths we don’t need” she said, growing more annoyed the longer she thought about it. Aidou’s expression fell as he folded his arms behind his back, unable to disagree. 

“I know, but we’ll be fine. We have countless aristocrats here, who all have their own kind of powers, several hunters and three purebloods. Who would be stupid enough to launch an attack on a place like this, with this kind of power present” he asked, though he didn’t sound all that confident in his own statement. 

“The same one who has already done so before. The one stupid enough to be aware of the fact that more than half of these aristocrats won’t lift a finger if it is not to escape and save their own lives, and that one of those purebloods is a girl who loves to hide behind her big brother, who can’t make any careless movements or use his powers thoughtlessly because he might lose the fragile trust the vampire race has in him” she pointed out before narrowing her eyes at the doors that opened before the Kuran duo. 

“If I were whoever is creating these E’s, I would use this opportunity for an attack. Put bombs all around the building and blow it up once the wine is flowing richly and half of the vampires present are too drunk to notice the smell of kerosene” she said and Aidou gave her a troubled look as Kain and Ruka in front of them looked over their shoulders with the same expression. 

“That was dark, Zero. Even for you” the blue-eyed aristocrat said and the Hio princess gave him a dry look from the corner of her eye. 

“You’re already complaining about how dark my mind is, and it’s not even the end of the night” she responded, directing her gaze forwards again when she stepped through the opened double doors. The lush ballroom was filled to the brim with bodies, barely any space left besides the empty dancefloor in the middle of the room. The ancestor’s inner court stood to the side next to the entrance, in a half-circle behind the pureblood and his descendant. Countless gazes were directed at her as Aidou stepped away from her side to join the others, Kaname’s eyes resting upon her with the intensity of a touch that forced the younger pureblood to suppress a shiver that threatened to run down her spine. 

“If I may introduce you all to the last princess of the Hio line” the ancestor said, his gaze softening even further, to the point of fondness and almost pride. “Daughter of the moon, Hio Zero.” 

The huntress knew why Kaname had introduced her with her mother’s name, but it was still strange to hear. However, what got her the most, was the title he referred to her as. Not the last princess of the Hio line part, but the one where he called her daughter of the moon. She had heard him call her that a few times before, always in that same awed tone of voice, a tone that would have gone unnoticed if she hadn’t been raised to read people. Others couldn’t tell, but she sure could. It didn’t fluster her, to be called such in such a tone, but it did make her feel warm inside for reasons she did not want to look closer into. Instead, she turned to the crowd gathered before her, looking at her with hungry gazes and the saliva practically dripping from their chins, murmuring the either of the names Kaname had used to introduce her. 

“I apologize beforehand, but I will not be able to dance with any of you tonight for I am too busy with the security to make sure everything is in order and we are safe. Please, enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content” Zero said blankly, collectively refusing any offers to dance before they had been extended in the politest and politically correct way she could. Though, she couldn’t resist the slight passive aggressive jab at their askew priorities, something that seemed to humour the hunters stationed around the room, especially when it was brought in such an emotionless way. 

“Hey, I went out of my way to organize a gala like this for you. Couldn’t you have been a little friendlier instead of opening it such a tense way?” Yuuki hissed venomously as she grasped the huntress by the arm, stopping her from descending the stairs into the ballroom. Zero resisted the urge to take the brunette’s hand off from the wrist down, looking at it with a gaze so cold, her intentions were visible in her eyes. Yuuki flinched back but then steeled herself, as if she would be able to stand against the older girl. 

“If you don’t take your hand off me, I’ll be opening the gala by spilling blood” Zero threatened, narrowing her eyes at the Kuran princess. “Do you want to test the reflexes of sharks?” 

“Yuuki” Kaname spoke up, getting his fiancée’s attention as he reached out for her hand, taking it away from the Hio princess’s arm. Yuuki’s head shot up at the man she believed to be her brother, her eyes wide in surprise as she watched him look away from the silverette. 

“Zero had every right to open the gala in the way she did considering she was left in charge of security tonight so you could organize this gala they requested. They unreasonably insisted on this, so they will have to understand that she will be working tonight as well” he said and Yuuki pouted endearingly. 

“But Onii-sama, this party was organized for Zero. The least she can do is dance with a few of them. It is only natural for her to do so” the Kuran princess said, loud enough for the aristocrats standing closest by to hear her, inflating their sense of self-importance, believing they had a chance at dancing with the inexperienced pureblood and manipulate her into giving them some of her blood.  

And there was the first though of mass-murder.  

“I’m not dealing with this” Zero said and walked away from the two Kurans, aiming for the closest hunter who would either distract her from the bloodbath in her head or give her some new ideas. 

“How are you liking the pureblood life, Kiryuu?” Jinmu asked as she reached him, a sadistically amused smirk on his face. Of course he was enjoying himself at her expenses. What else had she expected of the man who mistrusted her the most. Then again, that was the exact reason she had tried to push for him to be next in line to lead the hunters instead of her. Both Yagari and Kaien had refused to listen to reason though, so here they were. 

“About as much as I like having my nails pulled” she responded as she turned around to face the room, folding her arms underneath her chest. 

“Already, my thoughts are turning to murder and it hasn’t been an hour. I worry for my state of mind by the end of the night” she said and the older hunter scoffed. 

“Hey now, young president. You’re not supposed to kill the vampires we’re told to protect. It makes standing here a waste of time and energy” he said mockingly and Zero’s brows furrowed together. 

“This entire gala is a waste of time and energy” she corrected before unfolding her arms. 

“Tell me if something happens. If it drags me away from those snobbish leeches, even better” she told him, hearing him hum in amused agreement before stepping away from the older man, making her way to the next hunter, already somewhat calmer. Not for long, though. 

“Your highness” a voice spoke up boldly next to her, drawing her attention to the older woman with wrinkles on her face, narrowed eyes and her hair pulled up too tightly. 

“If you could spare me a moment of your time, I would be grateful” the woman said as she straightened up from the bow she had made as she had called out to the young pureblood. The Hio princess pushed aside the urge to refuse the aristocrat flat out, turning to her instead. 

“Is there something you need?” she asked, keeping her voice professionally flat as she regarded the older woman who straightened up, drawing the attention of the entire ballroom even when some tried to be subtle about it. After how Zero had opened the gala, the blood-suckers had been hesitant to approach her. Not this woman, though. The Hio princess guessed she believed her old age and life-experience gave her an advantage, a privilege that put her above the other guests.  

“I just wanted to welcome you to our world. It is a regret that it has taken so long for you to grace us with your presence, but I am honoured to meet you at last” she said before laying her hand against her heart to introduce herself, a name Zero already knew and couldn’t care less about. She continued to nod at appropriate times as the woman continued to rant about one thing or another, her sentences filled with subtle self-praise and bitter-sweet words about the pureblood’s late mother. More people started to gather around now that she was stalled, their voices mixing. It took nearly no effort for Zero to blur out their faces as if they were scribbled through by a sharpie, but their voices were harder to block out. 

“How unfortunate it was for your mother to have left us so early, leaving a beautiful daughter like you behind.” 

“How regretful it is your mother, lady Shizuka-sama, has perished before she was able to find you a suitable match.” 

“How your smell reminds me of your late mother, such a sweet and pure fragrance. I suppose the harsher tone to your scent are inherited from your father? Will we get to meet him as well? Is he still with us?” 

“Poor Zero-sama, to be orphaned so early in life, carrying such a large burden upon your shoulders. A beautiful, young woman like you shouldn’t be made to face the world on your own. My son would be perfect to help you carry that burden, if you would consider him.” 

“Poor child, all alone in the world, forced to face the cure of your blood all on your own, with no-one to support you.” 

“There is no need to worry” a voice spoke up behind the silverette after the nth aristocrat stopped her for a chat, a hand landing on the small of her back in a feather-light touch. 

“Like her mother before her, Zero-sama has not fallen to lunacy and her bloodline is mixed enough not to be at risk either. There is no need for any of you to worry about her state of mind” the voice continued as Zero tilted her head just enough to look over her shoulder at the presence behind her. 

“Give the young lady some room to breath before you start throwing marriage proposals or suspicions of lunacy at her head” he added, his tone only a little sharper but the aura around him enough to have many of the aristocrats flinch back before they bowed at the Hio princess. 

“Forgive us for overwhelming you like this, your highness. We meant not to insult you or your late mother.” 

“I hope we will soon have another chance to speak.” 

“I will pray that you will soon feel at home in our society, where you belong, your highness.” 

“Quite the characters, aren’t they” the man behind her said as they watched the sharks swim away to mingle with the others before they could set off the two purebloods. 

“It are just words. I do not care for their opinion on me or my mother. I am aware of how they thought of both her and me just moments before my bloodline was revealed” Zero said before glancing up at the man next to her. 

“But thanks to your interference, we were saved from having to clean up a bloodbath, Ougi Karube-san” she said and the blonde-haired man turned his smile to her, his hazel eyes closed as he tilted his head. 

“Ara, I didn’t think you’d still remember me, Zero-sama” he answered and the silverette looked away again, shifting her stance in a manner subtle enough to look normal but effective enough to feel his fingertips fall away from her back. 

“Of course I would. It is expected of me” she said, resisting the urge to tear her hand from his grasp as he bowed forward to press his lips in a featherlight touch to the back of her fingers. 

“Still, it is an honour to be regarded as important enough to remember by you” he said before straightening up, releasing her hand after holding it for a moment too long to be comfortable. Zero didn’t acknowledge the hand at her side that twitched with the urge to reach for one of the knifes strapped to her leg. 

“Pardon my interruption, Ougi-san” a voice spoke up behind the light-haired duo, drawing their attention to the ancestor who approached them with a blank expression on his face, his eyes moving from the Hio princess to the male pureblood. 

“I am afraid I need to borrow Zero for a moment” Kaname said before turning his full attention to the silverette, regardless of whether or not he had the other pureblood’s permission to cut into the conversation. 

“I am aware that you have no intention of dancing with anyone during this party, but I am afraid nothing will happen if you do not” the brunet said before lifting his hand in an offering, the other folded behind his back as he held the huntress’s gaze. 

“May I have the first dance of this night, Kiryuu Zero” he requested, specifically using her father’s name in order to convey that he was requesting the huntress to dance, not the pureblood princess. Because he did, Zero had no real reason to refuse, especially not when he pointed out the lack of activity on the dance-floor, knowing it was because the person who the gala had been organized for had yet to do anything. Zero exhaled a sigh through her nose before she lifted her hand. 

“Let’s get this over with” she said, accepting his invitation as she laid her hand in his. Kaname straightened up, a small smile on his lips as he led hear away from the blonde pureblood and towards the dancefloor. 

“Be honest, how many people have you killed inside your head?” the ancestor asked, amusement audible in his voice as he ignored the eyes that were on them. 

“Besides the hunters and the inner circle? All of them” Zero admitted, lifting her free hand to his bicep as he shifted his grip on her hand, his other hand finding its place on her back. A little too low according to the standards of a box, but just right to accommodate the arch of her back.  

“They are too pushy, either trying to get me to spill my blood for them, or presenting anything walking on two legs with a cock as a possible match, as long as it’s related to them” she added and Kaname hummed in understanding as the band started a new song, likely one the pureblood king had requested. 

“It’s no surprise that they would, considering how you look. You are unattached, not to mean that you are absolutely breathtaking” Kaname said as he moved, forcing Zero to take a step back in the first steps of a quick-paced waltz. The Hio princess caught the way sienna red eyes lowered to the necklace around her neck, the one he had given her, the one she had yet to take off. When his gaze slid lower, following the thin chain that disappeared into the crevice of her cleavage, she felt her cheeks heat up along with the pit of her stomach. Yes, she had caught men ogling her before, quite often. However, she had not expected Kaname, of all people, to do so. So obviously none the less. It flustered her, but at the same time, it flattered her. She knew she had a body many women would kill for, Ruka and Aidou had told her so often enough, but she hadn’t thought it would draw the attention of an old soul like Kaname either. Enough to make him show her off like a blooming flower with every move he made. 

“Let’s get out of here” he said when he pulled her close against his chest after spinning her away from him, his words brushing the shell of her ear sending a shiver down her spine. Both his breath that caressed her skin, his arm that was wound tightly around her waist and the implications she selfishly read in his words. The words she knew Kaito used on girls he wanted to fuck, he told her as much. She knew Kaname was not Kaito, but she couldn’t stop her treacherous mind from laying the connection just because part of her was hoping for him to have such intentions. She couldn’t deny it, not when she remembered vividly that day-dream she had had in her shower, a day-dream she consciously had to stop herself from having again. Warmth spread further in the pit of his stomach as Kaname did the impossible, dragging her away from the spotlight into the empty hallway without being noticed.  

“You shouldn’t be afraid to excuse yourself if they get too much. They have no limits unless you set them” Kaname warned her as he turned to her. Before she could stop herself, Zero found her hands in his hair, the suddenness of the movement causing the older pureblood to stumble back into the wall. Yet, he made no move to resist as the silverette roughed up his hair with a frown on her face. 

“That really didn’t suit you” the Hio princess said, suddenly feeling awkward about her thoughtless action that felt satisfying. Both because having his hair slicked back really wasn’t a look for the ancestor, and because his hair was soft in between her fingers. 

“Does this look better then?” Kaname asked, reaching up with a hand to catch hers before she could lower them, his gaze narrowed indulgently at her in a way that made her self-conscious. 

“Much” she responded. It made him look much more approachable and less distant. She wasn’t quite sure why she had taken so much offence to seeing his hair slicked back. 

“I’m sorry for forcing you to dance when you specifically said you wouldn’t” Kaname said and the silverette looked up to meet his gaze, away from his lips she hadn’t even noticed she had been looking at. 

“You wouldn’t have taken no for an answer, would you” she said and only one corner of the pureblood’s lips curled up in a smirk. 

“Whether you accepted as the last princess of the Hio bloodline, or as next president of the Hunter’s association, I would have been fine with either considering it will secure your stand in the vampire society and give you more influence, which will make your job as President in the future easier” he said, causing Zero’s heart to skip a beat as she felt his fingers slide in between her own, their palms pressing together. 

“You’re right about that” she said, though she was distracted. Kaname’s hands were larger than hers but not by much. His skin-tone only slightly darked then her own, his fingers curled over the back of her hand, slender and dextrous. They were the embodiment of piano hands, fragile but strong, elegant but with few callouses that were unexpected but not all that surprising. He had less than Zero though, who was painfully aware of how rough her own hands were from all the training she went through, wondering what the older man thought about that fact. Did he dislike rough hands? He didn’t seem to with how he continued to hold her hand even as he lowered his arm at his side, effectively bringing her closer to him. 

She really needed Akatsuki to tell her who he went to when it came to matters of love, because she could really use some advice as well. So they could tell her what she was supposed to do with this urge she had to kiss him. How she could stop herself from staring at his lips, wondering how they would feel pressed against hers, capturing and moulding them to his liking. How she could stop herself from imagining what it would feel like to have his arms wrapped around her firmly, holding her flush against his body as he ravished her mouth. How she was supposed to deal with these inappropriate questions in her head about whether or not he would be a passionate lover or a calm one. About whether or not he was having the same thoughts as her. If he wanted to kiss her as well each time his gaze lowered at her lips, or if it was just wishful thinking on her part that she did not want to acknowledge. 

Should she even acknowledge these feelings when the man was engaged? Or did it not matter considering the state of the relationship between him and Yuuki. 

She startled out of her thoughts when she felt one of those willowy digits brush her cheek, tucking a way-ward strand of her hair behind her ear. 

“You’re smelling less and less like roses lately” Kaname commented, shifting his feet further apart until they were placed on each side of the silverette’s feet, barely trapping her in between his legs. How peculiar, that she was flattered when the taller vampire mentioned her scent but had felt strangely violated when the aristocrats had. 

“Ah, yeah, because Rose is dying” Zero said, dragging her attention away from the way she found herself unconsciously leaning closer towards him as his hand lingered in her neck, his fingers touching her nape gently. 

“It’s subtle, but definitely happening. We knew this would happen, so it’s no real surprise. We’re just trying to find a solution” the huntress said, feeling a thumb settle under her chin to push it up, the fingers in her nape remaining in place as she met his gaze. 

“There is a solution” he told her and she knew exactly what he was talking about, her stomach knotting together at the idea. 

“You sacrificing your own heart like Fuyuko is a last-resort. The vampire world still needs you if we want to keep up this peace” she responded without hesitation, different words resounding in her heart. 

“Besides, we still have time. This is a hunter problem, and we’ll do something about it. If necessary, I’ll sacrifice my own heart” she said. It wasn’t like she had much to live for anyway. Kaito or Jinmu would become president in hear stead, Aidou would take care of Sayori and Kaien and Yagari were both mature enough not to cry over her death. She would just have to solve this whole hidden weapons copy cat before she ripped out her heart, and everything would be fine. 

“Ze-” 

“Zero- oh!” a voice cut in, trailing off embarrassedly at the end. The gazes of both purebloods shot towards the source of the sound, seeing Aidou avert his gaze down with a flush on his face. Zero immediately stepped away from the Kuran king, her hand feeling cold without his in it despite how he had tightened his grip on her. 

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t m-mean to disturb you two” he stuttered as the silverette turned away from the older vampire, walking over to the blonde with brisks, long steps. 

“You didn’t, what’s wrong?” she asked, touching his arm to get him to turn around. She didn’t want to find out what would happen if she stayed any longer in that hallways, what thoughts she would think if she stayed so close to Kaname. 

“I just wanted to introduce you to my father, since he’s been complaining that I haven’t yet” Aidou said and Zero gave an agreeing nod as she waited for him to pull open the doors to the ballroom again. 

“Are you sure I wasn’t disturbing?” the blonde asked and the huntress couldn’t stop herself from throwing a glance in the king’s direction, seeing him watch her with a look in his eyes she did not want to look into any deeper. 

“You weren’t” she assured the blonde. In fact, she was grateful for his interference. If she had stayed any longer, she was pretty sure she might have done something stupid. 


	16. Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

Again, with these unnecessary parties. When was Yuuki going to figure out this was not the time for them? When was she going to get it through her thick skull that there were more important things that the parties she organized? For fuck’s sake, her fiancée had been attacked mere days ago by a group larger and better than they had ever faced before, but the brunette just didn’t seem to care. ‘Kaname-sama would never lose to anyone’ she had said, as if it justified her lack of worry for the man she loved. Or said she loved. Agreed, the person strong and shrewd enough to kill the Kuran ancestor has likely yet to be born, but that didn’t change the fact that he  _had_ gotten attacked on his way home from a meeting with the council. And he hadn’t come out unscathed. Granted, it had only been a few scratches, but the attack had proven that the drug to resist purebloods had finally reached its pinnacle of success. How the hell else would two dozen of Es and ten level C vampires be able to lay a hand on a level A vampire? 

Kaname had brushed it off, but he wasn’t fooling Zero. The huntress could look right through him and see that the attack bothered him. That his injuries had been a little deeper than the scratches he had mentioned even when they had healed before he had reached the dorms again. He knew that she knew, but for some reason, he was not saying anything about it and the silverette wasn’t pushing him to. If he needed someone to talk to, or to brainstorm with, he would know where to find her.  

But that didn’t make her any less restless. 

“Alright, that is enough!” Ruka said as she looked away from her reflection to where Zero was sitting down on the edge of the tub, dragging a comb gently through her hair. The others in the bathroom turned their attention to the ash-blonde aristocrat before following her gaze to the silverette. They had decided that because Zero’s bathroom was the biggest, that they would all get ready together for the party there, not waiting to see if they had Zero and Sayori’s agreement. Fortunately, they hadn’t bothered with informing Yuuki of their decision.  

“I know you hate parties and that you’re against this one as well, but could you stop sighing?” Ruka demanded harshly, gaining a troubled smile from Sayori, the poor angel who always tried to defuse the situation between the two tallest girls who would never harm each other. 

“Ruka-san, Zero isn’t sighing as much as you imply” she said gently before turning to the huntress. 

“But I do think Ruka-san is right, Zero. It is Christmas and both you and Kaname-sempai have been working harder than anyone expects of you, as have Seiren-sempai and Yuuya-kun. A Christmas party is tradition and just for today, you all deserve to relax a little and enjoy yourselves” she said and Zero glanced over at where Seiren stood, the purplette meeting her gaze. There were tired lines underneath her eyes that Rima was busy hiding with concealer, making her wonder just how hard a vampire needed to work to get bags as visible as those. Seiren said nothing and looked just the same as she always did, an unwavering presence behind the pureblood king, professional and strong. But Zero could tell she was tired and in desperate need for sleep, perhaps an entire week of it. However, she knew better than anyone that sleep without settling both the mind and the body down would do more harm than good, waking up just as tired as before they went to sleep, regardless of how long they slept for. She was insomniac enough to have experience with that, so she resigned with another sigh. 

“Just don’t expect me to like it” she warned, which was as much agreement to relax they were going to get and they knew it. They were satisfied with it, and turned back to their own business with a pleased smile, except for Ruka. 

“Good enough. Now, for a bit of makeup. It’s not like you need any, but it’s a special occasion so it won’t hurt” the illusionist said as she reached for her make-up case, causing lavender eyes to narrow at her. 

“It will if you plan on putting any on my face” she warned, but the threat went unheard as Ruka riffled through her case, pulling out a small round tin. Zero tried to stand up to move away from the crazy-ass woman, only to find herself held down by Rima and Seiren, the latter who had her eyes closed. 

“The sooner you resign yourself to it, the sooner it will be over” the ninja-like vampire advised her, speaking from experience. For a second, the huntress contemplated putting up an all-out struggle, but her hesitation to be that dramatic was the only opening Ruka needed to lift her chin and place her finger on the silverette’s bottom lip, smearing the petroleum jelly out over the length of her lips. That was something she had used often enough not to mind, but the bright-red lipstick was different and something she wasn’t used to. Not that that stopped Ruka from having her way with the pureblood, allowing Zero to do very little than resign to the barest of mascara, a thin stroke of eyeliner and the tiniest bit of rouge on her cheeks to compliment the colour of her lips. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she was tempted to just wash it all off again, but Ruka looked too proud of her accomplishment for her to do so. 

Zero was too soft on them. 

“Zero! Are you finish-” 

“What in the world are you doing?!” Ruka screamed as the door of the bathroom swung open, only the silverette not flinching or blinking at Aidou’s sudden appearance. 

Zero truly was too soft on them. 

“I apologize, Hime-sama” Yuuya said as he covered the blue-eyed aristocrat’s entire face with his hand, his own eyes closed as he used his other hand to reach for the door-knob on pure memory. 

“I’ll remove him immediately” the long-haired raven assured the women in the bathroom, his grip on the ice-user tightening as he closed the door. “From this world, that is.” 

Zero raised an eyebrow at the closed door, wondering what that was all about, while Ruka just huffed, standing with her hands in her hips as she shook her head at the door. 

“He’s so lucky we’re all dressed already. What if we had been naked? Or in our underwear?” she asked rhetorically but received an answer anyway. 

“He wouldn’t have cared. At least not with me. He’s seen everything there is to see already” the Hio princess said, earning a few startled looks, save from Sayori, who already knew how shameless Aidou was when it came to Zero. 

“Wait, so he wasn’t joking when he said that?” Rima asked and the silverette shook her head as she pulled her hair up in a high pony-tail. 

“No. He walked in on me bathing, sat himself down on the sink and started ranting like he always does” she told the girls while wrapping her green woven cord around the base of her ponytail before fastening it with a knot, not caring about the wide-eyed looks she was receiving. 

“And you were okay with that? You didn’t tell him to go outside?” Rima asked, sounding uncharacteristically shocked as Zero shook her head. 

“I don’t see why I should when it was bound to happen with how he just barges in how he pleases all the time” she responded and Ruka shook her head, unable to understand what the silverette was saying. 

“How are you fine with a man watching you bath?” she asked, the mere idea clearly making her uncomfortable even when the man in question was her own cousin. Then again, she suspected it would be awkward to have your cousin in the same room as you bath or shower. 

“Because for one, despite how uncomfortable I am with people talking about my breast, pointing out the obvious, I have nothing to be ashamed of. And secondly, because it’s Aidou. He’s not interested in me” Zero answered before sending a sideway look at the rose-blonde next to her. “Sayori on the other hand.” 

The reaction was as expected, the attention of the girl shifted from her to the blushing former-human, allowing her to slip out of the bathroom before they could talk her into wearing any more make-up, more jewellery or a different dress. In her own opinion, she was already wearing too much make-up. She was fine with just the mint-green ribbon earrings and the karma necklace as jewellery, and there was nothing wrong with the dress she was wearing. Perhaps it was a little on the simple side, black in colour with a length that reached her ankles and spaghetti shoulder-straps that were unfitting for the time of the year but bearable with the temperature in the dorms. However, the buttons that ran down the front from the lowest point of her V-shaped neckline to the hem of her skirt that ended at the middle of her thighs, gave the garment the edge people were used to from her. 

“You could have warned me that everyone was here. I wouldn’t have barged in like that if I had known Ruka was going to be there. She’s going to beat me within an inch of my life when she comes out” Aidou whined, draped over one of the couches with his eyes closed, looking the epitome of pitiful. 

“Don’t worry. I gave her something else to think about” Zero assured him as she sat down in her usual chair, contemplating if she had enough time to pick up her book to read a few pages before deciding against it, remembering how close to being finished the others had been when she had left the bathroom. It wouldn’t take long before they came out and the huntress hated stopping in the middle of a chapter. 

“What? What did you say?” the ice-user asked hesitantly, giving the silverette a suspicious look that only grew more suspicious with the smirk she was sending him. 

“I exposed your interest in Sayori” she said, seeing the blonde’s jaw drop open while Yuuya wrapped his lips around his teeth to bite down the smile that would have spread on them otherwise. 

“You did what?!” Aidou explained as he pushed himself up from the couch, hoping, praying the huntress to deny her statement and dropping back down on his stomach with a groan that was muffled by his face that was buried into the seat of the couch. 

“You’re the devil. The ruler of hell” he whined as Zero chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand in a manner that seemed too dainty for her but resembled her mother so much according to Yuuya, that she didn’t bother stopping herself from doing it. 

“What’s so funny?” Ruka asked as she pushed open the door of the bathroom open, the girl filing out of it now that they were finished with getting ready. 

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing at all!” Aidou instantly responded as he shot up from the sofa, knowing he couldn’t count on Zero not to embarrassed him even further, fully aware she was perfectly capable of doing so if it amused her. However, this time, she didn’t need to do anything. The blonde’s instantaneous reaction was obvious enough, his widened eyes locked on his cousin, pointedly away from the petite vampire behind the ash-blonde. 

“Too obvious” Zero muttered under her breath, not even bothering to push down the smile that curled her lips as she stood up. 

“Shall we go? I’m sure her highness will start complaining if we’re not there to greet her as she comes down the stairs” the huntress said mockingly, hearing Ruka scoff while Rima sighed at the prospect of having to spend Christmas with Yuuki. Both reactions were painfully understandable and nobody could judge them for it without being hypocritical. Having a Christmas party, like Sayori had mentioned before, was tradition and not one Zero minded. Until Yuuki was the one who insisted on it and organized it. 

“There better be some alcohol or it’ll be a red Christmas instead of a white one” the huntress warned, the sound of her okobo geta drowning out the sound of any other footsteps but not the chuckles that sounded much like agreement. 

“Maybe I should just try to put her in an illusion at the start of the night to keep her quiet” Ruka suggested, more savage than she usually allowed herself to openly be. Wow, Yuuki must have really gotten to her with something she had done. Zero wondered what it was, so she knew not to do it either. As much as she argued with the ash-blonde aristocrat, illusions were no fun. She had asked Ruka to try one on her a while ago and still hadn’t recovered from seeing her brother. It had felt so real, too real, and it had taken everything the huntress had not to just allow herself to bask in her brother’s arms around her. The scariest part was not knowing you were trapped in an illusion, but not wanting to shake yourself out of it. For some, living in their perfect world instead of reality, was worth the price of becoming her puppet. For Zero, it almost had been when she had seen her brother smile at her, welcoming her with open arms in a place that was a thousand times better than the reality she lived in. 

That was why Ruka was the one person she never wanted to have as her enemy. The way she was able to look into your mind to drag your deepest desires to the surface and use them against you was truly terrifying and the entire world should count itself lucky the aristocrat was raised better than that. In fact, Zero was grateful that Ruka had gone somewhat easy on her by using her brother, and not Kaname, when she had put the huntress under an illusion. She knew the ash-blonde vampire had seen the desires the pureblood held for the ancestor because she had apologized for accidentally breeching her privacy like that, adding that she wasn’t used to being requested to use her powers on a willing guinea-pig, but had also assured her that she preferred Zero over Yuuki. Both in general and at Kaname’s side, and that the older pureblood would be stupid if he didn’t feel that way as well. It was another thing Zero hadn’t quite recovered from, the impromptu love-advice. 

But like hell the Hio princess was going to seduce the oldest vampire alive. 

Hell, even if she wanted to, she had no idea how to do it. 

Was it even necessary? Wasn’t Kaname showing signs that he was interested in her as well? Or was she just misreading his signals? 

Kiryuu Zero misreading someone’s body-language? 

As if. 

“Just kiss him and you’ll know” Ruka spoke up next to her, drawing her out of her thoughts in the same way one poured a bucket of ice-water on someone else’s head. The silverette didn’t bother smoothing out the lines of her forehead as she turned her gaze sideways to the vampire who had stepped up next to her. 

“I regret letting you in my head” the pureblood said coldly, accepting the crystal glass that was held out towards her by the woman who shrugged. 

“It was our choice” she reminded the taller girl before turned to face the dining room, copying the silverette as they watched all the students having remained in the dorms for the holidays mingle. There weren’t many, but still more than Zero had expected there to be. 

“Besides, I didn’t need to look into your head to know what you were thinking about. For once, Hanabusa doesn’t exaggerate when he says you’re prone to brooding when left too long on your own” Ruka said as she raised her glass to her lips, sipping from the beverage that, luckily, smelled like alcohol. Red ice-cubes tingled against the edge of the crystal and Zero didn’t even need to ask what they were made from. Fortunately, they were too light to be real blood, likely substitute with blood-tablets. 

“Don’t make it sound as if I am incapable of being on my own” the Hio princess said, her tone almost snappily but Ruka took no offence. She never did. Zero always became more clipped when she was defensive, something she usually was when the female aristocrat was involved. Ruka had the uncanny ability to throw reality in her face in the bluntest way possible, something Zero preferred on most occasions, unless it was about something the was uncomfortable with. Feelings definitely qualified. 

“You don’t need to be, if you’d just woman up and did something about it. It’s exhausting to watch you two stubborn mules skitter around each other” Ruka said, sounding as annoyed at the furrow between her brows made her look. “You love him, he loves-” 

“Hold up! Stop! What do you mean, love? I don’t love him” Zero cut her off, turning to the aristocrat sharply as she narrowed her eyes at the slightly smaller woman, seeing her roll exaggeratedly with her eyes. 

“Alright then, you don’t love him. You whatever him. Whatever floats your boat. But that doesn’t change the fact that you want something of him, the same thing he wants of you. Lord, I don’t think I've seen, met or even heard of two people more emotionally constipated than the two of you” she said dramatically and Zero lifted the much-needed alcohol to her lips, wishing it was something stronger as it barely burned going down her throat so she could blame the flush on her cheeks on the alcohol. She decided to change the subject away from her and what she felt for the ancestor. 

“You seem pretty okay with this. I thought you were after him?” she asked, turning the spotlight to Ruka and her feelings. Regrettable, unlike Zero, she had no problem with her feelings and her emotions. 

“I used to be, until I saw new options” Ruka said unashamed, her gaze resting on her taller cousin. Oh, so Kain had confessed after all? Good for him. 

“Besides, Kaname-sama is not interested in me and has never been. No surprise, considering you are here” she said and the silverette frowned as she turned her attention back to the vampire next to her. 

“You’re still going on about that? I thought you were over this whole ‘I’m not good enough’ bullshit” she pointed out and the illusionist hummed in agreement. 

“I am. Maybe not completely, but I no longer think of myself inferior to any other woman” she answered before turning to the huntress. 

“However, I am not blind and neither are you deaf. You must know that everyone at the party was mesmerized, talking about how good the two of you looked together” she said and Zero averted her gaze, remembering the whispers that had filled the ballroom that she had tried her best to ignore but wasn’t allowed to by the paranoia she was raised with. Yuuki had heard the murmurs as well, and she had been anything but pleased with it. Since the gala, she had become even clingier, refusing to let Kaname go somewhere on his own, especially near Zero. 

“It isn’t about looking good together. Purebloods are by nature inhumanly beautiful. You can’t put two beautiful things together and expect them to look ugly” the huntress said, not a shred of pride or even self-praise in her voice. She was just making a statement, regardless of the fact that she too was a pureblood. Zero cared little for the packaging of a person and everyone knew this, which was why Ruka took her words like she had meant to convey them. 

“Well, take it from someone who knows both of you beyond appearances. You’re a much better match for Kaname-sama and everyone knows it. Even Yuuki does, which is why she is desperate to keep you two apart” the ash-blonde said before they turned to the duo approaching them, the conversation coming to an end without Zero’s response as Rima and Shiki joined them, followed by Sayori. For once, Rima and Shiki hadn’t unconsciously matched their clothing with each other in the way they usually did. It was still rather similar with both of them wearing black, but while Shiki wore a pair of black slim-fitting trousers underneath a washed-out dusty rose button up that fitted too large on his frame, Rima wore a black dress similar to Zero’s own, but with a split at her hip instead of the buttons running down the front. Sayori’s dress was dark blue, nearly black, with short sheer sleeves and a sweat-heart neckline, the hem reaching her knees and the skirt flaring outwards even without the help of a petticoat. Ruka’s dress was by far the shortest but, the dark-green velvet garment reaching the middle of her thighs while the length of Zero’s dress gave the illusion that it was longer despite how the buttons went no further down than the same place where Ruka’s hem stopped.  

However, the ash-blonde was the only one who had both arms covered from shoulder to wrist and her legs covered with black tights. Even Kain, who had joined them along with Aidou and Takuma, had the sleeves of his black sweatshirt pushed up to his elbows, several white thin stripes running down the garment vertically to set it apart from the black trousers worn underneath. Takuma was the complete opposite of them all, his all-beige outfit setting him apart like a candle in the darkness even when the outfit was rather casual with a pair of chinos and a short-sleeves T-shirt fitting loosely around his frame, tucked in behind the waistband of his pants. Aidou had picked a good combination of both bright and dark with the classic match of pair of black ankle-length trousers and a white wrap blouse that surely only he could pull off, knotted at his hip with a thin string. Yuuya wore something similar, but a lot more traditional, looking like a black jinbei with long trousers and sleeves even though they were rolled up. Seiren hadn’t strayed from the traditional style she preferred either, wearing a black qipao to appease Ruka who had asked her not to wear trousers. 

Not for the first time in her life, Zero questioned Yuuki’s sense of style as she came down the stairs. The dress she had chosen to wear to the Christmas party was no less eye-catching than everything else she had worn since awakening as a pureblood. The monstrosity was red and white in colour, short puffy sleeves covering her shoulders and stopping at the top of her biceps. The skirt of her dress flared out with what looked like a crinoline and a petticoat, white a base-colour with a red overlay, open at the front to show the layer below. A white corset was tied around her midriff, likely in a poor attempt to highlight whatever underdeveloped chest she had, the barest of cleavage visible above the red squared neckline. 

The Hio princess wondered if she was trying to catch Kaname’s eyes or make him gauge them out. 

“A candy cane” Shiki said, speaking the thought that was on everyone’s mind, causing the entire group to try and fail to smother their laughter one way or the other. Even Zero had to lower her head and bite her lip not to laugh, closing her eyes to stop herself from replacing the Kuran princess with a walking candy cane. She would be lost if she did, and then she would drag everyone down with her. That would not be a good start to the Christmas party. It would be funny, yes, but then they would have to spend the entire night with a whinging Yuuki. Nobody needed to be put through that kind of torture on a regular day, let alone on a holiday.  

“Well, at least she’s sticking with the holiday theme” Rima added dryly and they were done for. Zero raised her fist barely on time to chortle while Aidou reflexes to do the same were too slow. Thank god he hadn’t decided to take a drink at that moment, or it would have been all over the silverette. Takuma wasn’t that lucky and ended up chocking on the mouthful he had taken, patted on the back by Kain who told him to get it together even when he was struggling to follow his own advice. Zero met Yuuya’s confused gaze across the room before she send a pointed look at the Kuran princess who practically skipped past him, watching him do a double-take. His normally stoic face was suddenly extremely expressive, to the point everyone was able to read the shock and disturbance on it. Well, everyone but the cause. 

“What’s so funny?” Yuuki asked as she approached the laughing group. 

“Candy canes” Ruka said, forcing he corners of her lips down. Not that it was much of a struggle when she stood face to face with the brunette who tilted her head, as if she hadn’t considered the possibility of her chosen attire resembling a piece of candy. Zero looked away from the younger Kuran to the oldest one, her eyes trailing up the surprisingly casual clothes that clad his form. His ankles were visible underneath the cropped rim of his black wide-legged paperbag pants that were tied around his waist with a knot, a black turtleneck sweater tucked in behind the waistband. How was it possible that one Kuran was an absolute disaster when it came to fashion, while the other seemed to have invented it. Who knew, perhaps Kaname might actually have. It wasn’t like anyone knew how old he was, not even the person himself. 

“Aren’t you a bit chilly in that?” the pureblood king asked as he stepped up next to the Hio princess, a small but genuine smile on his face as he met held her gaze. As if he had looked away from her from the moment he had noticed her. The only reason she knew he hadn’t, was because she hadn’t either. 

“With the heating turned on this high? I’m surprised Busa isn’t melting yet” she said, earning an undignified squawk from said blonde as he turned to her. 

“I’m not a popsicle!” he said, giving the other something other to pay attention to besides the engagement ring on Yuuki’s finger that she couldn’t stop bragging about. She had been wearing the thing for a while now, but was still worshipping it like she had just received it. Everyone at the gala had seen the diamond ring and heard all about the design that resembled a rose in perfect detail. When she had first shoved the ring in Zero’s face, not knowing the silverette had been the one to pick it out for her, Kaname had sighed, saying that his fiancée had been whining about it to the point even he couldn’t handle it anymore. The huntress had given him a pitying look and had patted him on the shoulder in sympathy before walking off, leaving him alone with his menace of a descendant. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do the same now and neither could any of the others. 

“Saved by dinner” Shiki breathed gratefully as the servants called them to the table for the Christmas dinner that had been prepared by the cooks. 

“Kaname-sama! Come sit he-re” Yuuki said, her excitement freezing as she looked at her left side where she had been saving space for her fiancé, only to see it be taken by Ruka. She turned to her other side in the hope to beckon him over to that side instead, only to remember she always demanded Sayori to sit there. Rima sat next to the rose-blonde with a free spot in between for Zero and Seiren on her other side, making one side of the table for the girls and the opposite side for the boys. Yuuki’s face brightened up again as she looked at the chair across from her, disregarding the fact that her brother usually sat at the head of the table and hoping he would take the one across from her. Zero’s suspicion grew when Kain sat down opposite from the Kuran princess with Aidou on his left and Takuma on his right. If it had been anyone other than the fire-user, the silverette might have brushed it off, but not with him. Kaname threw his pouting fiancée an apologetic smile as he took the seat across from the huntress with Shiki on his left. 

“Looks like you’ll have the misfortune of looking at my face during dinner” Kaname said as he turned to Zero who was sending Ruka an accusing glare. It was obvious by the pleased look on the illusionist’s face, regardless of how hard she tried to hide it behind the rim of her glass, that this was all her doing. She had no doubt asked Kain to sit across from Yuuki, and love-sick fool the fire-user was, he hadn’t even questioned it before sitting down. She wondered why the others had gone along with it and when they had all agreed on this, but vowed to interrogate them about it later. 

“No need to worry. Your face can’t spoil my food worse than Cross does. I’ll eat as long as it’s edible” she said as she turned her attention away from the smug aristocrat to the pureblood across from her, her gaze only falling shortly on Yuuki’s expression that looked like the embodiment of a supercell thunderstorm severe enough to spawn tornadoes. Well, of course she would be pissed. First the whispers at the gala and now this. It practically made the ring she was so proud of completely useless. The Kuran princess was aware that only a hand-full of aristocrats liked her better than Kaname, and here was her fiancée’s inner circle, separating the two Kurans and putting the ancestor together with the woman the murmurs had described as the perfect match for the man. Honestly, were they trying to make her go ballistic? Despite how spoiled and weak she acted, Yuuki was still a pureblood and Zero was only packing three daggers at the moment. She doubted she would lose, but she also doubted she would come out of the fight unscathed. She wasn’t underestimating herself, but she wasn’t underestimating Yuuki either. She was just being realistic. She hadn’t seen Yuuki fight or use her powers since she had awakened and if she was pissed enough, she’d be unstoppable. 

The last thing Zero wanted to do was force Kaname to fight his own descendant. Even now, she could tell he loved her, even when she got on his nerves half of the time. That was just what family was. 

“Let’s unpack the gifts!” Yuuki announced with a clap of her hand, not caring that all the others were still eating their deserts. She just wanted her gifts and the others were too inferior to her for her to listen to their request to wait. Everyone already knew this, so they didn’t bother wasting energy to speak up. Most of them left their desert on the table, half-eaten, except for Shiki and Zero. The redhead took his plate with him while the silverette walked over to the buffet table for a second plate of apple crumble with vanilla ice cream, drizzling some extra caramel sauce on top of it before taking her half-eaten and her seconds with her to the Christmas tree they had all gathered around, forming half a circle around the decorated tree with their backs facing the fireplace. Since there was no free spot left, Zero sat down on Aidou’s lap, placing her full plate on her knees. 

“Let’s start with the gifts for Kaname-sama” Yuuki announced as she skipped over to the tree that was bottomed by a copious amount of presents. She picked up one of the smallest packages and brought it over to her fiancée without waiting for agreement. 

“It might be small, but I figured you would prefer something I made myself over something I bought” she said shyly as she handed over her present while the others behind her stood up to take their own gift in hand, looking embarrassed about what they had no doubt bought the president. The gift ended up being a rose stuck in a little bit of earth on the bottom of a glass jar barely big enough for the flower blooming flower. 

“It’s not the same as a rose that blooms once every four yours, but it’s a rose that will bloom forever. Or at least as long as I am alive, because it was made with my powers” Yuuki said and Kaname smiled indulgently at her. 

“Thank you, Yuuki. It is wonderful” he responded, accepting all the gifts from the others but with a little more professionality. Until Zero’s gift was handed over by Yuuya after she had waved her fork at one of the packages underneath the tree from where she sat on the ice-user's lap, unwilling to move when she was eating. Every vampire in the room save for the huntress froze with wide, shocked eyes as the dorm president barked a laugh, looking at the bottle of whiskey that was over four-hundred years old and named the ancient one. It was the oldest one Zero could find and she didn’t even care if it was still drinkable or not. It was a gag-gift and Kaname knew it. Sienna eyes met hers for only moment before another chuckle rang out and he shook with his head. 

“We’re sharing this one” he told her, almost sounding like a threat. Even he didn’t know if the alcohol would still be good and he wasn’t going down on his own. Yuuki’s expression was caught between shock at the fact that ‘oh god, my brother can laugh’ and angry at the inside joke between the two older purebloods that had promised to share a drink. She was pacified with Kaname’s gift but only momentarily. 

“Why is my engagement ring bigger than my gift?” she asked as she looked at the rings that were situated on both her hands, holding them together. Kaname had stuck to the flower theme and had bought her a dainty ring in the shape of a daisy flower with moissanite. Anyone else would be happy with something like that, except for Yuuki. Zero almost felt bad for Kaname when she saw his expression fall slightly as he handed her the gift he had gotten for her. She looked away from his face before she could say something and unwrapped the small round gift, uncovering a glass casket with a ring inside. She startled at the sight of it, not having expected such a serious gift but scolding herself because she could have seen this coming when he had already given her a necklace for her birthday. Still, instead of a bracelet or a piercing, he had gifted her with a delicate golden ring with a small rectangular diamond of barely two carats resting horizontally in the middle. There was a moissanite on the top and the bottom, giving the ring an almost square shape. It was minimalistic and beautiful, but it seemed a little too similar to an engagement ring for Zero to go over lightly. 

“It is what you think it is” Kaname said in a soft voice barely anyone heard and the silverette looked up in surprise, wondering if her expression had been that obvious or if it was just him who had read her thoughts. 

“It’s to get the vampire society off your back about a marriage” the pureblood explained but for some reason, Zero didn’t think that was all. That was the one reason she was going to get though and she knew it, so she took enough with it. Actually, it was rather considerate considering how close she had come to shoot or stab all the aristocrats who had offered her the hand of anything male on two legs that was related to them. 

“Thanks” she said softly, his voice wobbling so subtly that no-one heard as she flicked open the delicate casket. Kaname watched tensely as she took the ring out of the lavender pillow it had been stuck in to slide it onto her ring finger. 

“I tried guessing your size. How does it fit?” he asked, sounding as nervous as the silverette could tell he was, though she doubted anyone else could see it. She scoffed as she closed the casket, not wanting to stare at the ring that made her chest feel impossibly tight and warm. She pretended the jewellery and the gesture behind it didn’t affect her as much as it did. 

“What do you mean, I tried guessing your size. We went ring-shopping together and you are not stupid enough to forget what my size is. Of course it fits perfectly” she said soft enough only he could hear her when he stood so close and the tiniest of relieved breaths escaped him, his shoulders sliding that little bit lower with the tension that flowed from him. She looked up at him before she could stop herself and mentally cursed herself for doing so. Once she met his gaze, she didn’t know where else she was supposed to look. She didn’t know what else she was supposed to think about but him.  

Should she follow Ruka’s advice and kiss him? She had an excuse now, one she could cling to. After all, a kiss on the cheek was what people gave each other to thank the other for a gift, it was perfectly acceptable and Yuuki had done it just seconds ago as well. Hell, even Sayori had gathered enough courage to kiss Aidou’s cheeks for the gift she had gotten from him. Specially crafted blood-pill that tasted like freaking strawberries were definitely worth that and so was the marriage repellent she had received. But when it was someone like her and someone like him, when it was her and Kaname, could it really be considered platonic or just a gesture of gratitude? It wasn’t for her, not when it was an excuse to hide her true intentions behind. Not when she was thinking of changing the location from his cheeks to his lips and write it off as him just turning his head in the wrong direction when he rejected her, pushing the blame on him. 

“Onii-sama, why would you give Zero a ring? We all know she can’t wear them with her work, something she can’t put aside for even a second. She literally lives and breathes her work, which makes it a waste of money” Yuuki said, breaking up the moment with her tight voice and her even tighter smile. She was a rather good actress, but her act was lacking at the sight of the silverette receiving a gift similar to the one she had gotten. Her statement and the air around her ruined the rest of the party, marking the end of it as the other students started to return to their rooms, excusing themselves from the situation. It might be one hidden underneath the earth, but Yuuki’s current mood was no less volatile than a volcano. Sayori was the most affected by it, but it didn’t seem to be the connection she had to her master. At least not only that. It was worrying and caused the entire inner court to follow them to their room. Zero didn’t even blink at their intrusion, closing the door behind Seiren’s back before placing her hand flat on the gap that separated the door from the frame, muttering a combination of spells under her breath as she watched the door seal itself before a sound-blocking charm glowed on the door, giving them the best privacy she could provide them with. 

“Alright, what’s the big deal? What’s got your panties in a twist?” the Hio princess asked as she stepped into the occupied living-room, folding her hands underneath her chest as she stood in between Seiren and Yuuya, forgoing sitting down in the only seat that was left empty, which was her chair in the corner. Nobody felt comfortable enough to sit in it. Aidou had tried, only to step out of it with a shiver, saying that it didn’t feel right. For Sayori, it seemed like nothing felt right at the moment, wringing her hands under the attention of multiple vampires where she sat in between Ruka and Aidou. She visibly struggled to find the words to say, biting her tongue a few times as she fought to get the words out. Nobody needed to ask to know that she was likely trying to push past one of the lines Yuuki had drawn for her. They waited patiently until she managed and were rewarded for the time they gave her. 

“Something is wrong with Yuuki and this party only made it worse” she finally managed to get out, reaching up to wipe the slim trail of blood that dripped from the corner of her mouth before she looked up at the pureblood in the room. 

“You made it worse” she corrected herself and Ruka scoffed. 

“When doesn’t she?” she asked rhetorical and the silverette rolled with her eyes but didn’t respond, seeing Sayori shake with her head. 

“No, that’s not right. You and Kaname-sempai made it worse” she said before looking down again, her hands clutched together in her lap with enough force to push her nails into her skin. Aidou reached out to lay his hand over them, gaining her attention as he gave the smaller limbs underneath his palm an encouraging squeeze. In any other situation, Zero would have congratulated him for doing so without blushing, just to see him turn red. But as it was, she was more worried about what she and Kaname had made worse. It didn’t seem like it was Yuuki’s mood, because that much was obvious to anyone. 

“Take your time” Rima assured the rose-blonde who inhaled deeply before nodding. 

“During the gala for Zero, Yuuki was approached by a shady man. Someone like those vampires who carried hidden weapons” she said and Zero tensed half a second before the others did. 

“He said he worked for someone who could get rid of her problems. Who could get rid of the woman standing in between her and Kaname-sempai” the former-human continued. 

“Excuse me?!” Aidou exclaimed but was quickly shushed by the others as Zero stepped forward, crouching down in front of the turned vampire, placing her hands on top of her knees. She waited to speak until she was sure she had the younger girl’s attention. 

“What did she do?” she asked and Sayori drew up her shoulders slightly. 

“She refused him, but she hesitated” she said before averting her gaze. “I know it sounds ridiculous and like a l-” 

“I believe you” Zero said resolutely, leaving no room for anyone to misunderstand her, regaining the rose-blonde's attention. “I don’t want to, but I believe you. Yuuki has changed since she awakened and that is not something any of us can do something about. Yuuki is her own person and she makes her own decisions.” 

“I am afraid that seeing Kaname-sempai’s behaviour towards you and the fact that he gave you a ring, will make her decide to accept that shady man’s offer” Sayori admitted and Zero couldn’t deny it. As much as she doubted she would win from Yuuki, the other was sure she couldn’t win from the silverette. Not without a stroke of luck, or some outside help. Now that she knew Kaname had a soft spot for the Hio princess, soft enough to give her a ring, she knew she could no longer count on her fiancée. Zero wished she could say that the ring meant nothing, that she could make this clear to Yuuki. But the thing was that she wasn’t sure. Kaname had been too nervous for the ring to mean nothing and for the huntress, it didn’t mean nothing either. Yuuki was ignorant, but she wasn’t stupid. She just selectively saw what she wanted to see and heard what she wanted to hear.  

“We need to stop her” Aidou said, breaking the silence. 

“How?” Kain asked, already in agreement but unsure of how to. The fact remained that they were aristocrats and their opponent a pureblood. Even if they ganged up on someone who acted as weak as Yuuki, their instincts still told them to submitted to the stronger vampire. 

“We tell Kaname” Takuma suggested but Zero’s response was immediate. 

“No. That will be the last thing we do” she said, turning to look over her shoulder at the green-eyed blonde who seemed surprised, knowing that the person with the best chance to stop Yuuki from accepting the enemy’s offer, was the man she loved. They all knew it, but that didn’t mean they had to use Kaname against Yuuki. That they had to do anything at all. 

“What if we tell Kaname? He will ground Yuuki and we will lose the opportunity to get our hands on one of our enemy’s henchmen who can lead us to them. Even if he doesn’t do anything, the possibility that she will read it in his blood is too high to risk it” she said and Takuma frowned. 

“You want to use Yuuki as bait” he said, but it sounded strangely like a question. 

“I am the next president of the hunter’s association and whoever is behind all this made it personal by fucking with my heritage and the way I was raised. I will use anything I need to, to get my hands on the fucker who spat on my ancestor’s way of life and their graves” she said and Seiren spoke up. 

“I agree with Kiryuu-san. Yuuki-sama will definitely take the bait and this is too good an opportunity to pass. Because of this enemy, hundreds of people have disappeared or been killed. It is too dangerous to let this continue any longer, for both human race and the entire vampire race. Unless we bring sufficient proof that we are doing something about this threat, humans will start hunting us down like they did in the past” she said, speaking more words than Zero had ever heard her say. Her statement and the reminder of the victim count was like a bucket of ice-water poured over everyone’s head, their expressions falling. 

“The fact that our enemy approached Yuuki means that they’re confident. That they have enough forces to withstand an attack if it comes to a fight. He’s taking a chance on Yuuki, because he feels like he has nothing to lose” Zero said and Yuuya let his gaze pass around the room. 

“If we don’t do anything now, when we have the chance, this will turn into a bloodbath. And who knows how many casualties will fall on all sides?” he asked and Zero turned to Sayori, squeezing the bony knees underneath her hands to make sure she had the younger girl’s attention. 

“You did well, Sayori. You’re very strong to disobey your master like this. I couldn’t do so without violently stabbing myself” she said, horrifying some of the vampires even when they should have known she was someone who went to those extremes. 

“But you can leave the rest to me now. There’s no need for you to put yourself in any more danger” she said and Aidou cut in sharply. 

“But it is okay for you to put yourself in that kind of danger?” he asked, almost snarling at her as he glared at the silverette, his fist clenched in the fabric of his pants.  

“Like hell I’m allowing you to take on this enemy on your own. You’re not alone in this, goddammit, so stop trying to take on the world on your own. I’ll help you, even if you won’t let me” he stated and Zero frowned at him. 

“The same goes for me” Shiki said, startling her and everyone else in the room. Usually, the redhead stayed away from fights and conflicts, finding them too violent and a waste of energy. 

“Of course, me as well” Rima said next to him, which was no real surprise. If Shiki took part in something, she did as well. Zero wondered why they weren’t married already. 

“Don’t think you can stop me” Ruka said as she flicked her hair over her shoulder in a haughty manner, a strange sort of determination and confidence in her aura when Zero expected her to be nervous. 

“You already know what I’m going to say” Kain said carelessly, again, no real surprise when he would follow Ruka anywhere. 

“Use me as a double spy. I’ll stay by Yuuki’s side like she expects me to and pass through anything I find out” Sayori said and suddenly, everyone was against the idea. 

“That’s not happening” Aidou said, receiving a raised eyebrow from the rose-blonde who glanced around the room to see everyone agree with him. 

“You are all willing to stand by Zero, even when you know it might cost you your own life and you don’t plan on listening to anything she says to dissuade you. And yet you won’t allow me to do the same despite how my feelings are the same as yours?” she asked, silencing any protests before they were even uttered. A silver tongue, that one.  

“I might not be strong like any of you, but I will no less than everything that is within my power to help Zero wherever I can” Sayori stated, unmovable like a mountain. 

“You guys are all idiots. Pea-brained, bull-headed idiots” the silverette grumbled, touched by their feelings of wanting to stand by her but annoyed by them as well. Honestly, she didn’t want anyone to get hurt and here they were, putting themselves in harm’s way just because she did. What the hell were they thinking? She wasn’t supposed to feel this fond of vampires and they weren’t supposed to reciprocate. That was just weird! Yet here they were, and Zero would rather die than have them killed because of their own stupidity. Friendship was one thing, but this was different. This was more. When the hell had that happened? 

“Alright. If you are so hell-bent on putting yourself in danger without listening to me when I tell you not to, you will at least listen to me when I train you” she said before looking up to meet the gaze of every vampire in the room except the duo standing behind her. 

“I won’t let any of you do this without a crash-course in martial arts. Forget self-defence, I’ll teach you how to fight and how to kill. That is my only condition. If you can’t accept it, I’ll make sure you won’t even be able to move, let alone stick your nose into this” she warned sharply, almost like a threat. 

“This is going to rob me of my energy for the next decade” Shiki complained, but none of them backed down, their decision made and their conviction solid.  

Zero was so going to regret this. 


	17. Silent war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes!

Something was going on and he was being left out of the loop.

They were being subtle about it, extremely well and successfully so, Kaname didn’t think anyone besides him had noticed it, but he had. Yet he couldn’t figure out what they were hiding from him. That was a first. Usually, he found out what secrets someone was keeping from him as soon as he noticed they were. He was too curious not to dig deep enough to find out, though some people might call it paranoid. He called it knowing better than to let anyone have something over him, something that could be used against him. However, this was Zero he was talking about. Zero, who preferred a frontal attack and was strong enough to successfully carry one out. Zero, who would not keep secrets unless she deemed it necessary. After everything that happened between them, after how close they had gotten, Kaname didn’t think the Hio princess still wanted to kill him, so he gave her the benefit of the doubt.

That didn’t make him any less curious though.

“You’re not going to complain about the gala this time?” Kaname asked as he gave the silverette next to him a sidelong look, seeing her remove the dirt from below her nails with one of her daggers. She paused, no longer than it took for her to meet his gaze from the corner of her eyes before she looked down again.

“Waste of time and energy, really” she said carelessly before shrugging. “Besides, you forced me to sit through a birthday party here, so you can go suffer at a gala for all I care.”

“Did you forget you’re supposed to be there as well? You’ll be suffering just as much as I will” he reminded her, wondering if this was a hint that she would be skipping the gala like she sometimes skipped classes. Granted, it had lessened when Yagari had been their teacher, but lately her absences had increased again. Hers along with the others. The first time the vampire king had been alone in the classroom, he had been surprised, expecting the others to rush into the room, apologizing for being late or being held up. But they hadn’t shown up until three hours later, much to Kaname’s confusion and the teachers’ frustration. Not that they dared to say something to Zero, though. They were too scared of her, especially when she looked down at them, daring them to say something about her or the other’s absence. 

“Maybe, but I won’t be in the spotlight like you” she said and Kaname couldn’t deny that. He was sure Yuuki had made sure the party was nothing short of extravagant, regardless of his wishes.

“What was the theme again? Gemstones?” Zero asked, as if she didn’t know yet. She was just rubbing salt in wounds Kaname hadn’t known he had sustained. “I wonder what she’s going to wear this time.”

“I wonder what you will be wearing. Not that you will look anything other than breathtaking, regardless of what you choose to wear” Kaname said, seeing the silverette tense up from the corner of his eye. If the huntress insisted on making something that was already bad even worse, Kaname just needed to stop her from talking. He could kiss her, knowing nearly for certain that she wouldn’t reject him because few  times he nearly had, she hadn’t seemed unfavourable to it, but the location was wrong. So, he was left with the option to embarrass her, which treated him to the rare sight of the apples of her cheeks reddening. She didn’t remain flustered for long before she send him an exasperated look.

“You’re supposed to say that to Yuuki. She’ll be pissed if she hears you say that to me” she reminded him and Kaname shrugged, something he only did when he was in her presence and her presence alone.

“She will be, but that doesn’t make it any less true. That is something not even she can deny. Not when she used to have a crush on you” he pointed out and smiled pleased as she turned her face away. It was surprisingly fun to make the huntress speechless when she usually always had an answer ready.

“Excuse me?” the silverette said surprised, clearly thrown off guard by the ancestor exposing his descendant. However, her surprise came as a surprise to him. 

“Surely, you were aware of it?” Kaname asked but the expression on her face was answer enough. She hadn’t known. She hadn’t even been the least bit aware of it. The Kuran king wasn’t sure if he should laugh or feel pity towards Yuuki.

“It seems like even your uncanny ability to read people like books fails you sometimes” he said, his amusement growing as he could practically see the silverette bristle defensively, taking offence to him questioning her skills.

“Would you notice it when a guy has a crush on you? My ability to read people is just fine” she hissed and Kaname raised an eyebrow at her.

“Is that so? Then, what does my body-language tell you?” he asked, trying to fluster again, only to find himself on the receiving end of a deadpan look.

“That you’re an overly possessive, arrogant asshole who should learn to choose what he wants instead of thinking he can have both” she said and Kaname didn’t bother resisting the urge to snort. Well, she had him there. There was nothing he could say that would save himself from that one because it was the truth and nothing but the truth. He had wanted Yuuki for the longest time, and when he finally had her, she hadn’t been nearly enough. He should have known this would be the case with the way he had been denying his attraction towards the Hio princess, brushing it off as something similar to wanting to state his ownership of her. As if he could ever own her. That didn’t chance the fact that he wanted her though, more desperately as time passed. Yet he still continued to string his fiancée along as if he wanted to spend the rest of his immortal life with her when the one he loved was Zero. He was an asshole, the worst one to walk ever walk the earth. But she wasn’t rejecting him. If they hadn’t been interrupted each time he tried, he would have kissed her a long time ago and she would have let him.

“I wonder what that says about you” he responded, his smile disarming the words could be taken as defensive accusations. They weren’t and Zero didn’t take them that way either, scoffing as she slid her dagger underneath her sleeve, making it disappear in the same way a magician did.

“That my brother was right all along what considers my taste in men” she said before smoothly rising to her feet.

“I’ll be going now. I don’t want to make Rima wait too long” she said and Kaname hummed as he watched her step away from the sofa they had occupied in the foyer while he waited  for the others to finish getting ready. He wondered if he should follow after her, force a confession from her lips before finally claiming them because the way they danced around each other, implying their feelings without saying them outright, was slowly driving him insane. He didn’t know why they were doing it. It wasn’t like they were hiding their feelings since it would be useless with the way Zero could read body-language like an open book and Kaname’s skill in doing so was only slightly inferior to hers. He was about ninety percent sure the silverette felt the same thing for him as he did for her, yet they weren’t saying the words out loud. They weren’t making a move to confirm their suspicions about the other’s feelings, showing no intention of acting on their desires more than the few times they had. The Hio princess seemed more level-headed while Kaname felt like he was slowly but surely losing his mind over her. Was it because of the possessiveness that bordered on obsession that seemed to run in the Kuran line?

Zero was aware of his desire to own her, to make her his, and she didn’t seem to hate that part of him, so why didn’t he?

That reason came down the stairs just as he had pushed himself up, away from the couch and towards the door the silverette has disappeared through. He stopped himself from going after the huntress and instead turned to his fiancée as she descended down the stairs, Zero’s earlier words ghosting through his head. There was a reason he hadn’t broken up with Yuuki despite his feelings for the older girl. After awakening, the Kuran princess had been completely overwhelmed by her blood and had changed. He hadn’t noticed at first, blindside by the image he had of her and his attention that had been shifting towards the silverette, but that had changed at the beach, during their summer holiday, when Zero had dragged the brunette back to their temporary home by her hair for  nearly feeding on a human. After that day, the changes had become obvious and Kaname regretted not having noticed sooner.

Perhaps, if he had, he would have been able to do something about it. He would have been able to stop the beast inside of her from consuming her like it had, eating away the person she had grown up to be, replacing it with the reason why he hated purebloods. If he left her now, she would lose it. There would be nothing left of the Yuuki everyone knew and part of the vampire society would change with her. While the council had brought up the suggestion of dissolving his engagement to his sister in favour of Zero, the next president of the hunter’s association, it was undeniable that the haughtiest and flashiest vampires were loyal to the Kuran princess, who was the embodiment of how lavish the vampire race used to be and was supposed to be in their eyes. In their eyes, she was the person they needed to follow in order to be the best that they could hope to be. That they would finally be able to rule over the weak like the world expected of them. The other half would remain loyal to him, he knew this, but he wondered. Were his feelings truly worth dividing a race and starting a war over?

And that right there was why neither he nor Zero had voiced their feelings out loud.

He suspected Yuuki was aware of this, to a certain level, which was why she insisted on clinging to him and organizing so many gatherings. He knew his bloodline like no other and knew how cunning they were, how shrewd they could be. He did not doubt that she was using the opportunity to strengthen her position in the vampire society and as his fiancée. She still hadn’t given up on owning Zero, but the next president of the hunter’s association was not the King she believed him to be. If Kaname was King, she would be Queen, and she was not going  to give that up to have Zero as her servant. But the Kuran ancestor did not see himself as King nor did he want to be, and neither did he see the silverette as a servant.

As if Zero could ever be anything but strong, beautiful, heartbreakingly kind and so,  _ so _  right but so,  _ so _  wrong for him despite his nearly all-consuming urge to have her, to hold her, to feel her arms wrapped around him, whispering his name as his teeth sank into her-

“What are you thinking about, Kaname-sama?” Yuuki’s voice cut through his thoughts, and luckily so. It had been a long while since he had consumed any blood and it was starting to affect him. Yuuki had offered a couple of times, but Kaname felt not even the slightest bit of desire to consume her blood. Not when he could smell peaches and iron nearly always within arm’s reach. After Fuyuko, nothing had ever tempted him as much as Zero did. He had thought his urge to have Yuuki’s blood when she had been human had been bad, but this was worse. 

It was a miracle he hadn’t given in to his desires yet. 

“Just the meeting of the council from yesterday. Nothing you need to worry about” Kaname said as she smiled at his descendant, patting her head fondly even. Changed as she had, she was still his blood. He chuckled as she pulled her head away before he could ruin the complex design the upper part of her hair had been put up in.

“Was it that bad?” Yuuki asked as she looked up at him, her expression open but too curious to be innocent.

“Somewhat” he admitted, but doubted it was for whatever reason the princess was thinking off. No, the reason the meeting from the day before was still on his head was because of how pissed he had been leaving it. He didn’t want to think  about it, but how could he not when he had been given an entire tower of omiai files for the Hio princess? Like hell he was given them to her. He had destroyed every last snippet of them before he had even reached the academy, but that didn’t change the fact that the vampire society was already claiming the silverette as theirs, regardless of her job as next president of the VHA. The council wasn’t entirely comfortable with it either, knowing the kind of person Zero was from their joined meetings, but they were less angry about it than Kaname was. The crack in the wall of the meeting room had yet to be repaired, though it would have been much worse if Aidou’s father hadn’t suggested annulling his engagement if he was really so upset about Zero with someone else.

Like his son, the man was too sharp for anyone’s good and sometimes forgot to turn on his brain-to-mouth filter. 

Fortunately, this time it had prevented the accidental destruction of an entire meeting room.

Considerate as Kaname was about Zero being her own person and how he suppressed his urge to lock her away after he claimed her as his, the volatile green beast of jealousy inside his chest was impossible to shackle down completely. It had only recently settled down when he saw the silverette together with Aidou, because he knew the feelings the ice-user held towards the huntress’s roommate, and now this. The world just loved to see the monstrous side of him, it seemed.

“Well, hopefully this party will be able to lift your spirits” Yuuki said hopefully but Kaname doubted. In fact, he was rather sure this birthday party would only make it worse. However, he smiled at the younger Kuran.

“I hope so too” he said and watched as she spun around in front of him.

“And? What do you think of my dress?” she asked, trying to lift his mood already by showing herself off. She was clad in a burgundy red gown, inspired by a ruby. The skirt was made from several layers of chiffon that barely brushed the floor, while the top was made from satin with a sweat-heart neckline, covered by a layer of lace up to the base of her neck but leaving her arms bare, the delicate net-like fabric decorated with a flower pattern made by moissanite, no doubt to match her new ring. She hadn’t liked it at first and he doubted she liked it now, but she refused to seem ungrateful when he had given a ring just as subtle to Zero who had accepted it gracefully, alas why she would be bragging about her gift tonight. Kaname could already feel a headache throbbing behind his eyes but smiled instead.

“You look wonderful, Yuuki” he assured his sister, but it did not seem to be what she wanted to hear. It had gotten harder and harder to figure out what the Kuran princess wanted him to say. Before, when she had been human and even when she had first awakened, he had always known exactly what to say, what she wanted to hear from him. He knew it made him scum, but it had made it easy for him to manipulate her. It had practically allowed him to read her mind and control her actions even when he hadn’t meant to do so. However, that was no longer the case and he didn’t know when exactly this had happened. He suspected it had something to do with what the others were hiding from him, but couldn’t be sure. Not until he either drank Yuuki’s blood, which he did not hunger for, or forced the others to tell him what they were hiding, which, for some reason, he doubted they would disclose to him when they were going to so much trouble to hide it. And for some reason, he was fine with this. With his inner court keeping secrets from him, doing things behind his back.

That reason was Zero. 

If Zero was involved, he knew she had been the one to tell his closest friends to keep it a secret from him. But he also knew she would not allow any harm to come to them if she could help it. That was just the kind of person she was, involving as little people as possible but taking care of the ones who demanded to be involved.

“Oh? How rare for you two to be the first ones ready” Aidou’s voice drew the pureblood king out of his thoughts, his words cheekier and ruder than they had been before his friendship with Zero. Kaname saw no issue with it. In fact, he welcomed it. He had always found the blonde too stiff and too worshipping around him and it had been somewhat smothering to have someone he considered a friend treat him like that. Yuuki on the other hand, found it disrespectful and her gaze narrowed at the blue-eyed aristocrat momentarily before she smiled, all daggers.

“It is, isn’t it. I thought none of you were going to show up, like you did with our New Year’s party” the Kuran princess said, accusation in both her voice and her words but it was fake. After all, she had been over the moon when his entire inner court had declined her invitation for the New Year’s party she had organized in town. The entire time, she had been talking about how the others were finally figuring out how to be considerate of them, but Kaname knew by the smirk on Zero’s face that she had given him when they had left, that they had sacrificed him to be rid of her for a few hours.

“We had better things to do then” Aidou answered, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs as he turned to Kaname without giving the younger Kuran any more attention than he already had.

“You and Akatsuki had the same idea, but onyx is so cliché” the blonde said, mentioning the all-black suit the pureblood wore. In response, Kaname gave the man standing in front of him a pointed look from head to toe, taking in his black suit with pastel yellow blazer, before raising an eyebrow at him. Aidou huffed as he straightened up the reverse of his vest, unfazed by the older vampire’s teasing that would have flustered him a year ago. In fact, it would have been unthinkable for them to tease each other a year ago.

“Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself? Or did your relationship with her change when I wasn’t paying attention?” Kaname asked as his eyes found the person at the top of the stairs.

“What do you me-” Aidou started to question, following his line of gaze before his face combusted, turning redder than a ripe tomato. Coming down the stairs was the object of his affection, clad in a floor-length off the shoulder evening gown in the same pastel yellow colour as the ice-user’s blazer. The sleeves were made from a pale-yellow sheer, closing around her wrist in satin cuffs and starting from the satin trim that was wrapped around her torso and biceps. There were a few applique roses that decorated the bodice of her dress in a diagonal line before it flowed into a chiffon skirt that was a little longer than Yuuki’s, enough to require a hand to hold up the fabric to prevent her from tripping over the hem.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry, Sayori-san! I didn’t mean to match with you! If you want, I can go change into something el-”

“No, no! There’s no need for that” Sayori cut off the ice-user's rant before bashfully looking down with a smile, her shoulders drawing up slightly as she touched the small mint-green stone that dangled from her ear. “It’s alright. I don’t mind it.”

“They’re so sweet together” Yuuki commented as she stepped up next to her fiancé, taking his hand in hers. However, despite her sugary words that sounded almost indulgent, the look in her eyes was calculative in a way Kaname disliked. Sayori had been put through enough but it seemed like the Kuran princess still wasn’t finished with her. The ancestor hated the way his mind overlapped her face with Rido’s, whispering about the similarities between them. Yuuki wasn’t nearly as bad as her uncle, but she was showing more characteristics of him than of her own parents. Perhaps it was the amount of power they held that turned purebloods mad in one way or the other, or perhaps they were not as exempt from genetic disorders originating from incestuous relationships as they had previously believed. The Hios were known to go mad at one point in time while the Kurans were more beast-like than any of the other pureblood-lines.

Kaname and Zero were the exception because Kaname had been the first of his kind and Zero was the descendant of two different bloodlines, much like the Hanadagi and the Ougi mingled their bloodlines with the Shoto and the Shirabuki bloodlines. However, they did so to further the strength of their heirs, while this was unnecessary for both the Kuran line, who have always been the strongest, and the Hio line, who was second only to the Kurans. The biggest difference between Yuuki and Zero was not the level of their powers, but their mental strength. The Kuran princess was overwhelmed by her own blood, while Zero remained in control despite the strength of two powerful bloodlines flowing through her veins. This made Kaname wonder who would win when it came to a fight between the two princesses if they were to clash. The one who was controlled by her blood and her instincts, or the one unwilling to let her blood control her but skilled enough to not need it. Kaname had always known that the strength of the  moon clan had not been in their aura or their powers, but in their skills with hidden weapons. That was what truly made them dangerous and what put them on the same level as the Kurans and the Hios.

Kaname didn’t want them to fight, ever. But his instincts told him it was unavoidable and he knew better than to ignore them. He hated the idea though, because he did not know which side to be on. His descendant’s, or the second woman he had ever loved to this degree.

“You seem displeased about something, Kaname” Kain spoke up next to him and the ancestor really needed to buy these cousins a reward for drawing him out of thoughts he didn’t want to dwell on. He didn’t know how they did it, wondering if they could look into his head to pick out the thoughts he did not mind having and the ones he did, and perfectly time their interference. 

“There are things on my mind, yes” the ancestor admitted as he watched how Yuuki talked excitedly with Sayori in a manner that reminded him of the way they used to interact when both of them had still been human. It was out of place and looked forced after everything both of them had gone through and how they had grown apart.

“Zero?” Ruka spoke up behind him, proving that despite her poise, she could lose all tact if she wanted to. Kaname and Kain looked over their shoulder as she approached them, her dress beautiful in all its simplicity. The colour of the gown was based on a smokey quartz, beige brown in colour with spaghetti straps that were crossed on her back, the hem dragging across the floor. There were no embellishments anywhere on the dress, but that was unnecessary with the way the gown hugged her figure. She had her hair up in a simple ponytail instead of letting it down like Yuuki and Sayori, or the buns she usually  preferred. However, it was not her appearance that caught him off guard, but the name she mentioned. He wondered if she had looked into his head but knew she would never do so without his explicit permission.

“Is it that obvious?” Kaname asked and the ash-blonde scoffed as she stepped up in between the two men.

“It is, painfully so” she responded mercilessly before she looked up at him from the corner of her eye.

“But you don’t need to worry. She thinks about you as much as you think about her” she added, startling him more than he wanted to admit.

“And you are sure about this?” he asked and she huffed as she looked away again.

“I won’t mistake what I saw with my own two eyes. One glimpse into her head was more than enough. A little too much, really. With that blank face of hers, I would never suspect her to think this like that” she said and Kaname frowned.

“She allowed you into her head? What did you see?” he asked curiously, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically judging by the raised eyebrow that was directed at him, but he cared little for it. Had Zero really allowed Ruka to breach her privacy like that? To look past the walls she had build around herself and kept up even when she had grown closer to the friends she now had?

“The same thing I would find in your head if I were to look into it, I suspect” she answered and Kaname wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with that information. He was rather sure it shouldn’t case blood to flow down south, but it did. The things he thought about with her weren’t pure or even remotely decent at times and Ruka now told him she though the same?

“How would you know what I think about?” Kaname asked, too caught up in his own spiralling thoughts to sound as suspicious as he had intended.

“Because all men are beasts and it’s written all over your face at times. Women know when men look at them  _ like _ _ that _ , and it’s obvious in the way you look at her. Enough for me to notice and for her, dense as she is, to notice as well” she said and the pureblood frowned.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked. Surely, if she already knew this much, she could guess that there was a reason neither of them have made a move yet.

“Consider it a birthday gift” Ruka responded.

Yes, what an amazing birthday gift. Emotional and sexual frustration and more to think about.

“Thank you” he responded, just as bland as his face, staring out in front of him. Ruka looked positively, if not slightly sadistically, pleased with herself as she stepped away from him to join Aidou and Sayori, Kain trailing after her.

“Are you sure that was a good idea?” the fire-user asked softly but still loud enough for Kaname to hear.

“Not sure. I’m just tired of seeing them flirt without actually doing something. It’s a pain in the ass and it gives us more second-hand embarrassment than we ever want to deal with. I, for one, have had more than enough of it to last me a hundred years” Ruka answered with a huff and Akatsuki visibly agreed with her as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers.

“She might kill you for this” he warned and Ruka tossed her hair over her shoulder.

“If she’s capable of walking after he’s done with her, she can try.”

Kaname wanted to call off this whole farce of a party and go back to bed after a cold shower or a meeting with his hand, whatever worked faster.

Why was he the one being manipulated all of a sudden?

And why was everyone snickering about it? Takuma used to be the only one capable of doing it to his face, but now Aidou, Ruka and Shiki had joined him and he suspected Rima would have as well, if she’d been at the redhead’s side. Kaname suspected Ruka had informed the others of the information she had given the pureblood while his fiancée walked back towards him, too pleased to have hear any of it.

“Since we’re all here, we should leave. Before we miss the party” she suggested and for once, the ancestor agreed with her. At least then he would be able to get away from the knowing looks and smug smirks he was receiving. Zero had caused his inner circle to change a lot and while he didn’t mind it, there were some things that made him feel... young. He was older than the streets they walked on, but the way they were currently able to fluster him with his affections towards Zero, made him feel as if he was no older than they were. It made him feel normal.

He just wished ‘normal’ wouldn’t involve being ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘teased’.

He was usually the one doing the teasing! He was never the one that was ganged up on!

Could this be considered bullying?

If it could, who did he report this to? The vice-dorm president, who was doing the bullying, or the school perfect, who was the reason he was being bullied?

Did all humans have this problem? Was this how powerless they felt without the use of any supernatural powers? If so, it was humbling as hell and Kaname pitied them. However, he was not powerless and managed to nearly smack them in the face with the car-door, thanks to a subtle push of his mind. He bit down the chuckle that build up in his chest as Aidou grumbled, rubbing his nose while he entered the car under Yuuki’s confused frown. The others filed in after him, all of them fitting in one and the same car because Kaname had insisted on it. Now everyone had to suffer through Yuuki equally without being able to escape to a different vehicle. Thankfully, the brunette seemed to be caught up in her own thoughts, leaving it to the others to fill the silence during the drive to the Kuran estate, where Yuuki had organized his birthday gala. He had wanted it small and with only friends present, but the princess wouldn’t have it. She had begged and whined until they had finally settled on their family estate. Or rather, Kaname had given in because it had been the lesser of all evils.

Thankfully, the estate wasn’t too far from the academy, so they didn’t have to listen to Aidou ranting about blood plasma and the scientific ability to artificially multiply it without losing its flavour for too long. His explanation went straight over their heads, including Kaname’s at a certain point, but Sayori continued to listen to the blonde telling his story animatedly with a smile on her face. With how foolish and sometimes bordering idiotic he acted, it was easy to forget that the aristocrat was one of the brightest minds in this generation and was sought after by many development companies. Even his cousins seemed to have forgotten about it.

“It’s been a while since he disappeared like that” Ruka said as they exited the car that had stopped in front of the gates leading to the Kuran estate.

“Disappeared?” Takuma asked confused and Kain glanced at him.

“Whenever he starts mouthing off about science, it’s like he’s from a different planet. He stopped doing so with us because he has Zero now, who can actually keep up with him and even enter a discussion without getting lost in whatever stratosphere he entered. No matter how hard we try, we usually get lost within the first three minutes of his rant and have to call him back to earth” he said and Shiki raised an eyebrow at him.

“You talk about him like he’s an alien” he said and Ruka glanced back at him.

“When they’re as smart as Hanabusa and Zero, they  _ are  _ aliens. You can’t tell me you understood anything of what he was saying in the car” she challenged and the redhead refrained from answering, stuffing his mouth with a poky stick. 

“You can’t imagine what it’s like when you’re in the same room as Hanabusa and Zero when they are talking about something only they understand. It’s like they have a secret language where they communicate with nothing but scientific formulas” she said and Yuuki huffed.

“Zero is smart, but not that smart” she said, though clearly everyone disagreed with her, even Kaname.

“Why would you say that?” the older Kuran asked curiously. Considering how long they had lived together and how long they had been in the same class, surely she should know better than anyone how smart the silverette was.

“She had to tutor me after school from the chairman, but my grades never once improved” Yuuki said and Ruka raised an eyebrow at her back.

“Ever considered that that might be your own fault? Zero tutors all of us and our grades have gone up. She even adjusts the way she teaches to all of us individually and I’m sure she looked for the best way to teach you specifically as well. If your grades haven’t gone up, it has nothing to do with Zero” she said before turning her attention over her shoulder where Aidou and Sayori were trailing behind them, unwilling to listen to any response Yuuki could come up with. It would all be an excuse anyway, and not something anybody wanted to listen to. Unsurprising Kain followed after his cousin and Kaname wished he could join them. However, judging by the glare on his descendant’s face, he had some pacifying to do. Fortunately, it took only a touch and a smile for the brunette to switch her attention to him and forget about the vampires she believed to be below her. He wanted to scold her for thinking of herself as all-important, but he had done so before already. The fact that she hadn’t changed meant that she hadn’t listened to him. Besides, there was so much he knew he needed to scold her for and so little energy he had left to do so when he knew it would go in one ear and out the other. It would be easier and more effective to just let her experience the consequences of her actions.

The party, as expected, was lavish, to put it mildly. Worse than anything he had envisioned and worse than he had ever wanted it to be. He lost sight of his inner circle as soon as he set foot inside the ballroom Yuuki had decorated. Well, that she had ordered servants to decorate. She had invited practically everyone who was something in the vampire world, more than had been invited to her or Zero’s introduction to their society.  And of course, every one of them wanted to have a chat with him. Yuuki remained at his side, refusing to let go of his arms as he entertained the guests in a manner that was almost instinctual. It only took him five minutes to realize three things. One, half of the vampires present had a god-complex. Two, there was something going on, even here. And three, he could not wait until Zero got here. He was distracted, his eyes scanning the crowd constantly, to the point people noticed. His eyes lingered on the vampire hunters stationed around the room, hoping that he would see her with them, like she usually was when she was at a formal event like this. The hunters noticed and were obviously on guard and confused, but only one of them was cheeky enough to raise an eyebrow at him.

Takamiya Kaito. 

It had been a while since Kaname had seen him. Part of him wondered why, while the other part couldn’t care less since it had taken him far away from Zero. The king’s mood had been so much better without him around, flaunting how close he was to the silverette. In his absence, Kaname and Zero had grown closer, close enough to develop feelings for each other and even start flirting to the point it annoyed others. This fact made the oldest Kuran smug, but he had not forgotten about the time Kaito had spend with Zero when they had been children. When everything still had left an impression on the huntress’s young mind, including the people she had cared for and above all her brother and her brother-in-arms, who clearly wanted to be more than a brother. It was something Zero was oblivious to and Kaname wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. If she was unaware, she wouldn’t even consider giving him the hunter a chance. But her being unaware, left her open to the manipulations of an older and more experienced man, one she  trusted after growing up and training under the same master with him.

It was highly conflicting.

Almost as conflicting as what was going on before him.

“Do you know what is going on?” Kaname asked, not even needing to look behind him to know Seiren was there. She was the only one who hadn’t gotten separated from him and had gotten closer as soon as Yuuki had torn herself away from his side to go with some of the guests.

“What would you be talking about, specifically?” Seiren asked, implying that more that he thought was going on, but Kaname put it aside, focussing on what was in front of him instead of on what Zero was involved in.

“About how the room is divided” the Kuran king said and Seiren followed his line of gaze, though she didn’t need to to know what he was talking about. It was as if there was an invisible line running through the room, separating one side from the other.

“If my hair had been any longer, I would have done the same as Ruka-san and since she told me green is not my colour, I went with this” the young vampire said and Kaname glanced over his shoulder, taking notice once more of the gown she was wearing. It was as simple as Ruka’s but with long sleeves and in a lavender colour, one that he strongly associated with Zero. So that was what was going on.

“Holy fuck. This place looks like a passive aggressive political battlefield between women. What the fuck is going on?” a voice spoke up as the owner of it stepped up next to the ancestor and his servant, looking at the scene before them with a grimace. Of course Zero would notice what was going on from  the moment she stepped foot inside the room, unnoticed with her presence suppressed so tightly, not even the oldest vampire alive had noticed her until she had spoken up. For how much she said she was unskilled in politics, she sure recognized a political warzone when she saw one. One part of the room was dressed in dark colours or shades of red with their hair either down and straightened or up in intricate designs. They sported roses, either woven into their updos, attached to their clothes, adorning their accessories or on corsages. Some even wore the fingerless lace gloves that the Kuran princess was always seen with during a gala. That part of the population obviously supported Kuran Yuuki.

The other part on the other hand, was much more subtle in its approach to show whose side they were on. They wore light, neutral colours that were mostly either mint-green or lavender, two shades firmly associated with the Hio princess. The peach blossom flowers or sometimes even small branches, were much subtler compared to the blooming roses Yuuki’s supporters sported. Unlike their either straight hair or gaudy updos, Zero’s supporters wore their hair in a ponytail, just like the huntress herself, even when the length was nowhere near hers. The next president of the hunter’s association was not blind and neither was she stupid. She knew what was going on. And as Kaname turned his head to look at her, he knew why everyone had chosen her side to be on.

The daughter of the moon looked as breath-taking as she always did, literally stealing the air from the ancestor’s lungs. Her hair was up in a ponytail, draped over her shoulder with the mint-green cord visible, blending in with her alabaster skin but contrasting greatly against her emerald green gown. The fabric fitted tightly around her body, highlighting her figure in the best way possible while showing a hint of her leg through  the split that ran from the bottom that trailed across the floor, up to her thigh, nearly reaching her hip. Sleeves covered her arms down to her wrist, leaving part of her shoulders bare with an off-the-shoulder neckline. Kaname couldn’t look away. Not from the hints of skin put on display, not from her curves that women would kill for and men went mad for, and certainly not from the wide choker around her neck that was practically an unlaced, open corset that did not cover her trachea. The item was white in colour, decorated with mint-green trims that matched the cord that kept the two sides together at the base, right above her suprasternal notch, where the fabric spanned out to cover part of her collarbones and the sensitive area of her shoulders, running down her spine almost like a posture corrector she didn’t need. The tassels at the end of the cord that secured the choker around her throat, gave the item an oriental feel to it that looked natural on the silverette.

It was part of her battle-armour, Kaname realized. 

And he should not be finding it as arousing as he did.

He needed to think of other things, quickly.

“I am assuming this is not what you are hiding from me together with the others” the ancestor said and saw her tense up, her eyes focussing on one point at the room so she couldn’t glance up at him. However, Kaname was already looking at her, and it was impossible for him not to see how she brought her hands together, folding them in front of her. He felt primally pleased and viciously possessive as he saw her twist around the ring he had given her, unconsciously touching it to draw comfort from it in a manner that only a few noticed because they had been staring as well. One of them was the hunter across the room, and damn if that did not make the pureblood’s chest swell with smug arrogance, revelling in the way the human’s eyes widened despite how his eyebrows drew together  in confusion. Kaname turned his attention away from the insignificant human across the room as he reached out for the woman next to him, touching her lower back with the tips of his fingers to gain her attention. Finally, she directed those pretty lavender orbs at him.

“It’s alright” he assured her, a small smile on his lips that was nothing but genuine. “I trust you.”

Zero flushed, the apples of her cheeks turning a faint pink, barely enough to be noticed but no less beautiful. The colour really suited her and Kaname wished he could see it more often, but it was such a challenge to put it there. Not that he ever minded it. The problem was the possessiveness that reared its head when she bashfully averted her eyes, an obsessive whisper at the front of his mind that demanded him to lock her up so he could have her to himself. His hand had pushed itself flush against the small of her back before he even figured out he had done it, but he didn’t take it away. Instead, he fought the urge to slide it further around her hip and pull her closer, perhaps even into one of the empty rooms of the house. The fact that she was looking up at him, holding his gaze stubbornly, wasn’t helping him with staying in control of his carnal urges. Especially not when he saw her pupils dilate in response to his body-language, proving that the ability to read it could be a curse as much as a blessing. Kaname damn near lost it when he remembered what Ruka had told him earlier, grateful yet hating the interruption that broke the tense eye-contact between the two purebloods.

“Zero” an annoyingly familiar voice spoke up within hearing range, drawing the silverette’s attention away from the Kuran king and towards the brown-haired hunter.

“Some of the greenhorns found something suspicious outside” Kaito reported with a jerk towards one of the balcony doors,  immediately causing Zero to go into business-mode, all her desires suppressed. If the huntress could do so, Kaname could do it as well, chaining down the beast inside of him before it could lash out at the hunter taking the Hio princess away from him.

“Seiren” he said meaningful, not even needing to voice the words to convey his order to the purplette behind him, sending her after the two hunters and Yuuya who had gone along with them without even being asked to. Kaname would have gone himself, if Yuuki hadn’t approached him with guests he couldn’t care less about but couldn’t afford to offend. He glanced over at his inner court, seeing Rima had finally joined them with a lapis lazuli coloured gown to match Shiki’s tie, similar in style to Ruka’s but with an A-line skirt. He wished he could join them,  wondering why the lightning-user looker so shaken,  but he had a duty to entertain his unwanted guests and the others looked to be in a heavy discussion about something. He doubted it were the whispers that were spreading fast, originating from the handful of aristocrats that had noticed the ring Zero was wearing. The emotions behind the whispers depended greatly on who was talking about it and the direction the rumour had taken.

Some were disappointed that the Hio princess was taken, while others were glad about this fact for it removed her from standing in between the Kuran pair. A handful of the guests were speculating about who could have possibly given her the ring, naming either Kaito, the son of Aidou, the pureblood of the Ougi line, or Kaname himself. The sharpest tools of the bunch were brushing it off as a tactic to stop people from pestering her with unwelcome marriage proposals, while others, the even sharper ones, saw it as proof of the king’s swaying feelings. There were many mixed emotions filling the ballroom  and Kaname wished he could have fled like Zero had done instead of being dragged around by his descendant who was playing the crowd. Her supporters ate out of her hand, some of Zero’s supporters were being charmed, but most of them were withdrawing from the Kuran princess. 

Kaname needed to do something about this, before it was too late.

He needed to make a decision, before the situation was beyond saving.

Thankfully, he did not need to think about what choice he would make. He had made it a long time ago and tonight only strengthened his resolve.


	18. Making a choice.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long! It was quite busy at work and it will continue to be busy for a while, so I am not entirely sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter out, but I promise I will as soon as I can!  
> For now, I hope this will suffice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs or the grammar mistakes.

The announcement struck like a nuclear bomb. Some rejoiced while others despaired. 

Zero hadn’t decided which side she was on yet. 

Kuran Kaname had annulled his engagement to his ‘sister’, Kuran Yuuki, and was currently walking next to her without a care in the world. In fact, he looked lighter than she had ever seen him before. She supposed that was only natural, with the weight that had fallen of his shoulders and had hit the vampire society like an earthquake. 

It had hit her like an anvil on the head. 

This was him making his choice. A choice she had never expected him to make. A choice she had never imagined him to make, especially not with this outcome. 

However much she told herself that she couldn’t get distracted when she was out on a mission, it was rather hard not to when she could actually hear him hum to himself as he walked with his hands folded behind his back. She was too aware of him to ignore him, and the glances he was sending her every few what seemed like seconds, weren’t helping. Before, she could feel them like touches and that had already been bad enough. But now, she could feel his expectation in his gaze, waiting for her to do something, anything, to respond to his choice. It was torture. Mostly because she didn’t know how to respond without causing a war. The Hunter’s association wouldn’t be happy if she followed her heart, and the vampire society would be scorned if she followed her mind. She was stuck in between a rock and a hard place with Kaname sitting on top of the rock, giving her this smug smile that infuriated her because he had gotten out while she hadn’t. She swore she even saw that smirk on his face in real life, reflected in his eyes whenever she met his gaze glancing back at him.  

She wanted to snap at him, tell him to stop being so goddamned smug, but that might trigger something she wasn’t ready to deal with yet. 

Fortunately, they reached their needed location before she could crack under the tension, pushing open the door of the pawn shop Yuuya’s investigation had led to. It was a broken-down old thing in one of the shadiest areas in the town a seven-hour drive away from the academy. Kaname had told her he’d meet up with her in town so they could go together since he had already been near from his own investigation of the crypt Seiren had found. He hadn’t taken no for an answer even when Zero hadn’t given one, so here they were, a little bell ringing above their heads as they entered the small shop. The silverette noticed how Kaname’s face seemed to clear up to be away from the stench from outside, until it fell again at the situation inside. They were at a poor side of town, a part where it was everyone for themselves. A perfect place for illegal and discrete business dealings. It wasn’t Zero’s first time in these kind of areas, but she wasn’t exactly used to it either. Neither of them complained, though she could tell Kaname wanted out of there as quickly as possible. 

“Oho, costumers! What can I do for you on this fine evening?” the store owner and their target asked as he looked up from behind the poor excuse of a counter. His head was balding and his shirt was dirty with sweat and grime, showing dark brown spots around the neck and underneath the arms of the white tank top. The fabric was stretched over a bulging stomach that was no doubt from all the alcohol Zero could smell on his breath even from where she stood at the door. The man was hiding his wealth smartly, but the huntress could still see the imprints of fake silver rings on his sausage fingers and the golden tooth in his mouth.  

“You can answer our questions” Kaname said as they walked closer to the counter.  

“Oya, you have some questions? Your expression tells me it’s not about my little shop” the owner said and Zero kept her hands in her pockets as she let the ancestor do the talking. 

“Correct. We heard rumours about-” 

“Hold up, young one. You know information doesn’t come for free” the slimy man said and he crossed his arms on the counter as he cut the Kuran pureblood off.  

“I’ve got to feed myself too, you know. I can answer questions, but for a price” he said and Zero almost sighed. She didn’t want to be here any longer than she had to and she knew how this sort of people worked. Thankfully, the older vampire did as well. 

“I’m sure we can work out a price, after you’ve answered our questions” Kaname said and the man smirked. 

“Alright, kiddo. What’s the subject you want to know about and I’ll think about it” he said and Zero looked away from him. She was sure the ancestor could get the information he wanted without even trying, but he couldn’t just threaten a human without breaking the peace pact between hunters and vampires. He would need to do this the old-fashioned way, by paying for information.  

“Weapons” Kaname said and the man narrowed his eyes, his smirk dropping. His muscles tensed underneath layers of fat, his eyebrows drawing together in a frown.  

“That’ll cost you a lot, you know” he warned but brunet’s expression didn’t change.  

“That’s why I said we’ll talk about it later. For now, why don’t you tell us who you are selling your weapons to” he responded and the man scoffed, leaning back in his chair that protested under his weight. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” he said firmly, yet his voice trembled, slight enough only those with superior hearing could pick up on. Of course he knew what they were talking about, but he couldn’t just give out the names of his clients. The fact that he did not mention this meant that, unlike human society, it’s underbelly was aware of what was happening in the world. He must have laid the connected between the disappearance of humans, the attacks people whispered about and the two inhumanly beautiful people before him. Good, that meant he wasn’t stupid, which would make this easier. However, if he had been any smarter, he would have played stupid. He only made himself suspicious by saying he didn’t know what they were talking about. 

“I doubt that. With a shop in a district like this, you should hardly be able to afford any gold or jewellery, fake or not. Unless you had a side business that connected you to someone wealthy. Considering the state of this area, it has to be an outsider, or someone who has lived here for long enough to gather an amount of money that would allow them to spare a bit of change to give a greedy human. Judging by the marks on your fingers, you’ve been doing business with them for some time” Kaname pointed out, revealing that he had made the connection of the marks on the man’s fingers too. This didn’t please the owner in the slightest as he reached into the counter and withdrew a shotgun. Zero moved before it was even fully aimed, grabbing the barrel and pulling it past her side while grabbing her own gun from the holster against her ribs. 

“That won’t help you” she said as she aimed rose straight into the man’s pale face, right between his eyes. It was a hunter’s gun so it wouldn’t harm humans, but the sight and knowledge of having a gun aimed at oneself was enough of a threat to make the man shriek.  

“H-Help me!” he called out to the back of the store in a high-pitched voice as he released the shotgun. Several figured poured out from the door behind the man, causing Kaname to take a step back. The Hio princess didn’t even look surprised as she dodged the daggers thrown at her, forcing her away from the shop owner and allowing four level E vampires to surround her. In a single glance, she could tell all of them were drugged up and at the end of their body’s capacity. Deciding to spare rose from having to deal with these small-fry, Zero put back her gun in its holster and reached for her lower back. Her fingers slipped between the handles she needed before she threw them up lightly. With three clicks, she caught hold of the dual spears that were based on ancient pudao’s. The blade was a bit thinner with a sharper jagged back, while the handle was of wood that easily fitted into her hands as she held the two weapons behind her back with a certain elegance in the form of a cross. Without saying anything or granting the surprised man a single glance, she made short work of the E’s. Since the blades weren’t anti-vampire ones, the job was a bit messier and bit more brutal until they turned to dust.  

Zero stopped with the tips of her toes on the edge of the counter, one small spear held diagonally behind her back while the other was glinting against the owner’s throat, drawing a bead of blood as it cut into the skin without even putting pressure on it. Zero resisted the urge to point out angrily that that was how sharp blades were supposed to be. It would be a bit too primitive to explain how fighters from the moon-clan were not supposed to have any resistance from their daggers when they moved. Even bones were supposed to be cut like gliding through half-molten butter. It could be awfully off-putting if your blade got chipped on a bone during a twist. 

“How about we discuss the price now? How would you feel about paying an ear?” Zero asked as she moved her blade upwards, nipping at the earlobe of the man who paled even further.  

“No! No, no, no! My apologies, miss! I didn’t mean to insult a pro!” he said, pathetically and desperately trying to get back in Zero’s good books. She didn’t have those, so he was shit out of luck.  

“I’m hardly a pro. Just someone looking for answers you can give” she said and continued standing on the edge of the counter, undisturbed with her other foot relaxed behind her heel.  

“Y-yes! About those weapons, they are hardly as good as yours, but I do make them. Do you wish to purchase some, maybe?” he asked and Zero scoffed, watching the man flinch. As if she’d ever want such poorly-made weapons.  

“No, we merely want to know who you sold them to. Who gave you these bodyguards” Kaname spoke up as he stepped up next to Zero, equally as undisturbed.  

“T-they are vampires! I swear they are! I had to keep them fed with whores from the back-alley! T-the one who bought my daggers was their master! H-he said that he was full-blood, or something” the man stuttered, desperate to get their approval, yet neither Kaname nor Zero showed anything on their face.  

“A pureblood” Kaname corrected and the man nodded fervently, glancing down at the blade held to his through when the action caused the sharp edge to sink further into his skin. He lifted his head away from the danger, swallowing thickly. 

“That’s it! It was a little boy! One with blonde shaggy hair and green eyes! He’s a creepy lad, I’ll tell you! Didn’t even give me his name” he said and Zero hooked her foot behind his neck to slam his face down against the counter again, stabbing one of her blades into the wood right in front of his eyes.  

“A name” she said as the man shrieked, unable not to zone in on the thin, sharpened edge of the blade that was tainted with his blood. 

“J-Jin! He said it was Jin” he stuttered out as a putrid scent filled the air. It didn’t take a genius to guess what had happened but nobody wanted to go in on it.  

“Thank you for your cooperation” Kaname said dryly as he placed his gloved hand in front of the man’s eyes, a purple sphere appearing as he wiped the man’s memories. As the man passed out from having his mind being tampered with, Zero put her weapons away again.  

“I doubt that it was a pureblood” she said and Kaname looked down at her. 

“What made you think that?” he asked, genuinely curious and the Hio princess glanced up at him before she turned towards the door to make her way outside, knowing he would follow her. She needed to watch careful about what she said now. She couldn’t tell him that the description fitted the spy Sayori had told them that had approached Yuuki.  

“Because I’ve seen all four of those E’s on the execution list from last year. They were sired to your uncle” Zero said, not uttering a lie, and the Kuran king frowned in confusion. 

“There were still more left? I thought they were all gone after the first attacks” he said and the huntress shook her head. 

“No, it makes sense for them to be here. It’s not like a pureblood would care if a human lives or dies. They’re expendable, especially ones like that guy from before. The weapons he makes are good against humans but don’t stand a chance against mine. It’s likely that these weapons were good for test subjects, but it’s clear that the successfully trained vampires received weapons of a higher quality” she said, glancing up at him again to see understanding on his face, his thoughts easily catching up with hers. 

“The ones in there, the bodyguards, were hardly trained and were doped up to the max instead” he said and Zero hummed, nearly laughing with his unconscious use of words. It was likely that the conversations they could hear on the streets were affecting him. One of the down-sides of having supernatural hearing. 

“It’s likely that it wasn’t even intentional. They probably just turned into junkies from feeding on the whores that shop keeper gave them” she said and Kaname hummed thoughtfully. 

“That would explain why he was able to control them” he said and Zero nodded in agreement. 

“There is always a way to control someone, even if they are vampires. If they’d been drugged before, they’ll continue to want it. The street workers here are pumped full of drugs to the point their body needs it to survive and function. It's the perfect hit for those Es. They got hooked on something else, but it was no less effective” she said and the older pureblood frowned displeased. 

“That is troubling to think about” he stated and the silverette glanced up at him. 

“Well, at least now we know that one of our enemy’s henchmen is named Jin and is a tiny brat with shaggy blonde hair and green eyes” she said and Kaname exhaled a short breath though his nose, resembling a sigh. It seemed like his own investigation hadn’t given him much answers either. Then again, this was to be expected when their opponent was a pureblood. The way they thought was on a whole different level from the vampires they usually dealt with. The ancestor had believed he had experience with playing mind-games with another pureblood, but it had later come out that he had been the one who had been played. 

“The academy is in that direction, by the way” Kaname said as he stopped walking, noticing the silverette had turned in a different direction. Zero didn’t bother stopping or looking over her shoulder as she pushed her hands in the pockets of the black trench-coat that billowed around her ankles. 

“And my car’s in that direction. You can fly all you like, but I’m not leaving her behind this close to this part of town” she said and the pureblood king raised an eyebrow before catching up with her. It was a bit of a walk to the location where she had parked her car, but she had done it for good reason. Yet even this far out of town, the vehicle drew attention. Not that it surprised the silverette, clearing her throat to gain the attention of the guys gathered around her car. 

“Move away from my car” she said, not even bothering to make it sound like a request when the men were clearly criminals. She wasn’t judging them on their appearance, but on the switch-blades and pocket-knives she could see in their pockets, outlines visible through the fabric. 

“Is this your car, little girl? How ‘bout I take you for a spin and show you how to handle it?” one of the men suggested and Zero took her hand out of her pocket, effectively pulling aside her coat to show rose’s hilt, the silver chain attaching the weapon to her belt-loop glistening even in the lacking street-light. 

“I know exactly how to handle it” she said, seeing the men tense up under her blank look, stepping aside to let her pass through. Thankfully, they got the fact that she had implied both her car and her gun, not giving her any more trouble as she unlocked her car and slid into the driver’s seat. Kaname took up the passenger’s space as she jammed the key into the ignition, starting the engine. 

“I should run them over for leaving greasy fingerprints all over her, assholes” the silverette grumbled as she shifted in her seat, placing her hand behind the passenger’s headrest to look over her shoulder through the rear-window, stepping down on the gas-pedal.  

“I take it you’re fond of your car” the older vampire guessed as she turned to the front again, her hand finding the gearshift. 

“Of course I’d be. She was a gift” Zero responded simply as she turned the wheel while pressing down the gas again, nearly running one of the men over. She would have driven over his toes if he hadn’t jumped back. He shouldn’t have put his dirty fingers on her car then. 

“Do you need to stop anywhere?” she asked as she steered the car out of town, swiftly leaving it behind but not quickly enough to her liking. 

“No, but you might want to slow down” Kaname warned and the Hio princess shot him a frown. 

“What are you talking about, slow down? I’m already driving at a snail’s pace. I won’t drive to fast in an area where civilians live” she said, but as soon as they left civilization, there were no holds barred. She could barely hear the pureblood gulp over the sound of the engine begging to go faster and she glanced at him, seeing the forcefully held down angle of his shoulders. 

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re scared of crashing and dying” she asked and the ancestor glanced at her before directing his attention back to the road. 

“I’m not. But now I do understand why Rima refuses to drive with you and why Yuuya-kun always looks so pale when you return with him” he said and the princess lifted an eyebrow before scoffing. 

“I’m not that bad. My dad was worse” she said and Kaname gave a tight smile. 

“Hard to believe that’s possible” he said and the silverette rolled with her eyes but didn’t comment, passing by another car with their side-mirrors brushing. 

“You’re over-reacting” she said, “We’re faster if we fly.” 

“But there is less traffic and no humans we bring in danger” he responded and Zero glanced at him. 

“Do you think I would drive like this if I wasn’t confident in my reflexes? In my ability to keep my car under control?” she asked and Kaname turned his head to look at her. 

“I would never doubt you, but just because your reflexes allow you to drive like this, doesn’t mean that humans won’t be frightened because of it, and who knows how they will respond” he pointed out and then narrowed his eyes fondly. 

“Besides, we have nowhere to be. There are no classes today and the others will be fine without us. Why are you in such a hurry?” he asked and the silverette tensed up, her eyes turning back to the road and away from the older pureblood. He was the reason she was in such a rush. She loved her car, but that didn’t change the fact that it was a small, secluded space, and she was overly conscious of him. The scent of rose tea, aged whiskey and chocolate filled the car, making her salivate. She could feel his gaze on her, unable to distract herself from it or run away from it. And once she glanced at him, she couldn’t stop herself from actually looking. At his sienna eyes that were looking at her as if he’s never seen anything else, his hair that brushed his jawline with every move he made and highlighted his neck, his lips that either moved as he talked or curled up when he noticed she was paying attention to him, something she only caught because she was focussing on his mouth, imagining what it would feel like on hers. 

She might be the one behind the wheel driving with the speed-limit as an option, but he was without a doubt the most dangerous person on the road. 

And then he had to go an annul his engagement to Yuuki, as if it wasn’t bad enough before that. It truly pissed Zero off, because what the hell was she supposed to do now. 

“What the hell do you expect me to do?” she asked, gnashing her teeth in irritation as she tightened her grip on the steering-wheel even when the car had come to a full stop in front of the chairman’s residence. The sudden question after hours of silence didn’t startle the older vampire, who had expected her to snap sooner rather than late. Zero was bad when it came to tension she couldn’t get away from and he had seen this coming from miles away. The silverette had no doubt that this was exactly what the man had been hoping for, what he had been going for with the constant glances and brushes of his hand against hers in a way that could almost be called accidental, if it hadn’t been him and if the air between them hadn’t been electrically charged with repressed urges. He was that much of a bastard, to push and wait until she could no longer stand it and cracked. 

“Make a move” Kaname said simply, as if it was the most natural course of action to take. In any other situation, it might have been. But this was not any other situation. This was their situation. She couldn’t make a move. 

“Sure you can” the ancestor said, reading her thoughts through her expression and her body-language. He grasped her chin, turning her face towards him so she was forced to meet his eyes. Zero cursed the fact that she was too stubborn to look away, too entranced. 

“You told me to make a choice, so I did” he said, his gaze falling down to her lips, agitating the fire in the princess’s belly that she had been writing off as anger. 

“I made my choice. Now it’s your turn. It’s up to you to make the final move” he told her, his tongue darting out to moisturise his lips before his gaze lifted to meet her eyes once more. He watched her expectantly with pupils slightly dilated, her hands on the steering-wheel twitching. 

“I can’t” she repeated, no longer in a growl, finding it harder and harder to hold onto her irritation. To keep her eyes on his instead of his lips, too close to hers not to feel his breath against her mouth. 

“Not without causing a war” she said, swallowing thickly as she forced herself to move back slightly, hoping that more distance between them would make it easier to think clearly. 

“You shouldn’t have chosen either. Your engagement to Yuuki was what was best for the vamp-” she started, cut up by his hand that slid away from her jaw to the back of her neck, holding her in place before she could retreat any further. 

“Zero” Kaname said, his voice thicker than usually, the sound of her name falling from his lips that sternly causing a tingle to run down her spine, cutting her off as if she’d been scolded. 

“Stop following your mind. For once in your life, follow your heart” he said, his fingertips digging into her nape, a soft pressure gently coaxing her closer towards him as her gaze flickered down to his lips again. 

“Judging by how the situation is looking, war is already in the cards, whether you follow your mind or your heart, so what does it matter?” he asked and the silverette resisted the urge to bite down on her lip, inhaling a shaky breath as she met his gaze, hunger visible in them. He had her. They both knew he had. She couldn’t deny it when the look in her eyes mirrored his own. She had no excuses left, nothing but her own cowardice and they both knew she would rather die than allow something like that to control her. She breathed out a rushed exhale before surging forward to connect her mouth with his, the action expected and answered as soon as the slightest hint of contact was registered.  

Neither of them was being gentle about it, lips moulding together hungrily, taking whatever they could get and demanding even more. The pressure of the ancestor’s hand in the back of her neck pulled her closer, forcing her to seek support on his chair and on his knee to prevent the kiss from being broken. She didn’t think she’d survive if they separated right now and Kaname clearly wasn’t willing to test it out, his other hand coming up to cover the mark in her neck, his thumbs resting against her jawbone. His lips were soft and pliant, but the way they moved were carnal and demanding, refusing to separate from hers for longer than the fraction of a second that was needed to recapture them.  

Zero was grateful for the experience she had with kissing because she was sure she wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the older vampire without it, which would have made this whole thing less pleasurable than it was. It wouldn’t have allowed her to truly feel everything that was happening, to feel the way his head tilted to get a better angle and respond in kind to deepen the kiss. She wouldn’t have been able to respond when the tip of his tongue brushed the seam of her lips, putting up a fight when he attempted to invade her mouth, though neither truly cared of who won or who lost, merely revelling in the smooth slide of their tongues as they entwined, the taste of each other mingling on their tastebuds. 

She couldn’t get enough. 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

She couldn’t accept this. There was no way she was going to accept this. She was going to confront her brother, demand to know why he had annulled their engagement for the whole world to know and convince him to take her back. With that in mind, she had dressed in a yellow dress that was much too pale for her, not to mention a little too short. However, it was necessary. With a colour that would definitely suit Zero she would draw his attention, and with the skin she usually didn’t show unless they were going to sleep, she would keep it. 

At least, that was the plan. 

Yet here she was, staring at the car parked in front of the chairman’s residence where she had sensed her brother’s presence. She knew Zero could suppress her aura signature like no other, but she hadn’t thought she would find them together. Especially not locked in a kiss that held more passion than all the kisses her brother had given her put together. He had never kissed her like that, with that much desperation, as if he needed her like air. He had never held her that tightly, threatening to break her in his urge to get her as close to himself as possible. She had been precious to him, she knew this, had felt it in the way he had always touched her like she was made from porcelain. But Zero, the way he was holding Zero, it showed love and need, desperation to have her in any way she would give herself to him. 

Yuuki couldn’t bear it anymore, couldn’t stand to see her beloved so in love with someone who wasn’t her. She had seen this coming, had read in his blood how much he had hungered for the silver-haired perfect. She had believed it had been something like she had felt, a need to possess her, some kind of ownership over her because the huntress had consumed their blood. But it wasn’t and it had never been. She had refused to believe it before and this was what had happened. 

However, she was not going to accept it. She couldn’t. She felt like something inside of her would break if she did. 

“Are you here to give your answer, Kuran Yuuki-sama” a young voice said in a sing-song manner as the Kuran princess materialized from thousands of butterflies in front of the crypt, garnet eyes resting on the young blonde aristocrat sitting on top of the crypt’s entrance, leaning forward on his hands placed next to his thighs, his legs swinging back and forth childishly, contrasting greatly with the mischievous look in his green eyes and the Cheshire grin on his lips. The last time she had been here, it had been to hear him out, to hear what he had to say. But this time was different. This time, her decision had been made. 

“If I help you, will Kaname be mine again?” 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

“You like someone, don’t you?” Kaito asked, nearly causing the silverette to lose her grip on her steering wheel as she drove the car away from the ruins of the crypt they had gone to investigate after finding the location in one of her diaries. She shot a quick glance at the brunet next to her, seeing him look at her, calm and relaxed like none of her other passengers had even been. He was the reason Zero saw nothing wrong with her driving style, ignoring everyone who wasn’t Kaito because he was the one who usually sat besides her when she had learned how to drive. 

“How do you know?” she asked, not bothering to deny his statement. She disliked lying and saw no need to do so now, especially not against Kaito. Attempting to would be a waste of energy anyway. He scoffed. 

“How many years have we been together now? How long do you think I’ve been studying you? I learned how to read body-language from you in the same way you did with me. I can even tell that you’ve done something with him, but not to the point of sex yet” he said and the silverette felt her cheeks burn, his bluntness nearly causing the car to swivel. She was a better driver than to lose control over her vehicle just because her passenger had made a shocking statement. 

“You don’t need to read me that closely, asshole” she grumbled, shifting gears to slow down, just in case he decided to make it worse and she wanted to throttle him. 

“Do you like him?” the older hunter asked, looking at the side of her face as she kept her gaze on the road in front of her. 

“I do. It’s not to the point of love yet, I think, but I do like him” she admitted, hearing him inhale deeply. 

“You want him” he said, his voice sounding dejected. “Kuran, and not me.” 

Alright. That was... unexpected. Well, this entire conversation came out of nowhere, but that one especially came out of the blue. She looked over at him, seeing him smile in a way that spoke of how little he wanted the curve up the corners of his mouth as he understood that her silence was confirmation. She continued to stare at him as he looked out of the window, directing his attention forward ruefully. 

“I love you” he said, his confession knocking the breath from her lungs much like a sucker-punch would. 

What? 

“I’ve loved you ever since we were little brats. When Ichiru still clung to you and you were this big sullen softy that couldn’t punch me even when I was bullying your brother” he admitted, his eyes narrowing pained.  

“My cowardice stopped me from confessing despite the opportunities I had and now it’s too late” he said, reaching out to catch the wheel when the silverette turned it, trying to put the car on the side of the road so they could continue this conversation without crashing into anything. 

“Don’t” Kaito said sharply, steering the vehicle straight on the road again. “If you pull over now, I’ll end up kissing you and we both know you would hate to betray your feelings like that.” 

“I’m sorry” Zero said, tightening her grip on the steering wheel as her brows furrowed together, her stomach feeling heavy with guilt.  

“I never noticed” she admitted, hearing her brother-in-arms scoff as he placed his hands in his laps.  

“It’s a miracle you didn’t, what with all the so-called intimidation techniques. I mean, I kissed you, for fuck’s sake. Tongue and all. How stupid can you be not to notice it after that?” he asked and Zero felt her cheeks burn at the memory. Geez, she really should have noticed. 

“But in the end, I didn’t grow a pair so here I am” Kaito said before sighing. “It’ll take a while before I get over these feelings, possibly never, but that’s fine. That’s my own fault, so you can stop feeling guilty.” 

“But I should have noticed. You said it before, I learned how to read body-language using you. How did I never notice before? I was hurting you by being oblivious” Zero said, trying to focus on the road instead of the brunet next to him as he patted her knee. As if she was the one who needed comfort. She glanced up at him, seeing him smile, a little more genuine and hopeful than before. 

“If you really feel bad about not noticing, don’t push me away just because of this. I won’t force you to love me or force you to feel bad about loving someone else, even if it is a vampire. After all the shit you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy and I would never dream of stopping you from being happy. I’ll deal with my feelings on my own, so just continue to treat me as your friend. Because more than losing you to Kuran, I would die if I lost you in my life” he said, his voice trembling ever so slightly, fragile and vulnerable in a way Zero had only known him to be on a handful of occasions. And just like in those other occasions, Zero’s heart broke at seeing the older hunter like that. She stomped down on the brakes, pulling Kaito into her arms before he could smack into the windshield. 

“Are you an idiot? How many years do you think we’ve been together?” she asked, throwing his earlier words right back into his face as she tightened her grip on his shoulders when she felt them tremble. 

“After everything we’ve been through, if you didn’t lose me already, you never will. I’ll always be on your side, whatever happens” she told him, her words sounding like a promise. Kaito huffed, the noise sounding a mix between amused and hurt as he buried his face in her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her back in return. 

“Two brother-killers like us gotta stick together, don’t we” he mumbled and Zero hummed in agreement, taking no offence to his morbid sense of humour. He continued to hold her for a little while, lifting his head and detangling himself from her when a car flew past them with blaring horn. 

“I think we’ve stalled enough. I’ve got to be on time to teach first period, remember” Kaito said and Zero glanced at him before directing her attention back to the road in front of her, restarting the engine of her car. 

“As if you’d mind coming late” she pointed out, granting his request to treat him like nothing happened. It would take a while before they would be able to truly feel comfortable around each other again, but they were nothing if not good actors who mastered the art of fake it until you make it. Though, her act faltered a little when they saw Kaname wait for them, her, when they returned to campus. Kaito’s gaze hardened a little as well, but his act was better than hers. 

“The sun’s up already. Isn’t it past bedtime for you leeches yet? Do you need me to tuck you in or something?” he asked, jabbing at both purebloods as he stepped up next to the older vampire, placing his hand on Kaname’s shoulder. The gesture seemed harmless, but Zero could see the way the hunter’s muscles were bulging underneath his sleeves, his grip visibly tight to anyone with a trained eye. 

“If you ever slip up, I'll be right there to sweep her away” he warned in a low voice, barely loud enough for Zero to hear. Kaname met the hunter’s gaze blankly, not showing any reaction to his threat until the brunet started to walk away. 

“I take it he confessed to you” the ancestor guessed as Zero stepped up next to him, both their gazes remaining on the hunter’s retreating back. 

“I feel bad that I never noticed” she responded and felt a hand touch her cheek, drawing her attention. She looked up, startling at the feeling of lips pressing against her own, short and sweet, before the older vampire rested his forehead against hers. There was a light smile on his lips, his hand cupping her cheek fully, his palm warm against her skin and his fingers a soft pressure in her nape. 

“You shouldn’t. You heard him. If I ever slip up, he’ll be right there to sweep you away. But until then, I hope you’ll give me a chance” he said and Zero regarded him before huffing, closing her eyes. 

“I think my answer from last time was obvious enough” she said before leaning in to connect their lips. While she did feel guilty for not having noticed Kaito’s feelings before, it did not mean that she regretted the choice she had made when Kaname had stripped away all her excuses. For better or for worse, she had chosen for the ancestor, had chosen to see where this relationship would take them. At the moment, it took them to her bathroom. Why her bathroom? She wasn’t really sure, but she cared little. The door was locked, the bath was running, the fire was crackling in the hearth and his lips were on hers, hungry yet controlled, meshing their mouths together while his hands rested on her hips. Her legs were wrapped around his waist where he stood in between her thighs, sitting comfortably on the vanity with one of her hands on his back and the other buried in his hair. Their tongues tangled together languidly, but never without the smouldering passion that was born from the tension that crackled between them. With a push of his mind, Kaname turned off the tab filling the copper tub standing in front of the fireplace, pulling away from the kiss with great reluctance. 

“I’ll leave you to your bath. A good soak should help loosen up your tense muscles” the ancestor said, taking a step back from the silverette, escaping the cage of her legs as they fell away from his waist. Zero allowed him to step away, placing her hands on the edge of the countertop next to her thighs as she watched him turn away towards the door. 

“You’re going to leave?” she asked, freezing him mid-step. She placed her feet on the ground as she moved away from the vanity, reaching for the hem of her black turtleneck sweater to pull the garment over her head along with all the daggers she had carried on her, dropping it carelessly on the ground and leaving herself in nothing but her bra and her black jeans, though the latter was quick to drop to the floor with a rather hard thud regardless of the sienna eyes that followed her every move like a hawk targeting its prey. 

“Well, it’s your choice. I’m not going to stop you, whether you want to leave or join me” she said as she walked up to the copper bathtub while reaching back to undo the clasps of her bra, letting it fall to the ground under the ancestor’s gaze on her back. She shimmied out of her mismatching undies, stepping out of them before she lowered her foot into the clear water, the addition in the tub pushing aside the flowers that floated on the surface. She sank into the water that was colder than what she was used to, but perfect to cool down her heated skin. Regardless of how composed she pretended to be, she was nervous. She wanted this, she wanted him, she wanted what she knew could happen when she extended this invitation to him, but that didn’t make her any less nervous. After all, she had experience with kissing, but nothing beyond that. She had left the invitation open, giving the ancestor the option to back out if he wanted to, but the opposite happened as she heard his button up fall to the ground as she looped up her hair to keep it out of the water. With her back towards him, she didn’t see him as he approached her, but she could hear the moment his trousers followed his shirt before she caught his hand on the edge of the tub from her peripheral. 

The water sloshed against her bare back as he sank into the space she had left open behind her in invitation, her legs drawn up against her chest even when there was enough space to fit both of them in the tub. His skin slid against hers as he stretched out his legs on each side of her, the sensation odd with the addition of water but not unpleasant, sending jolts up and down her spine as she tried not to shiver from his proximity. She turned her head, just enough to meet his gaze behind her. There was hunger in his eyes but also hesitation, as if he wasn’t sure how far she was willing to take this. However, he didn’t ask, not wanting to break the silence and ruin the moment, and instead reached up his hands, trailing his fingertips up her spine to her shoulders. She was grateful he mentioned nothing about the shiver the action had caused and let her head roll forward as his fingers started to knead the hard muscles on her shoulders. She was unable to cut back the harsh breath she let out when his deft digits worked through the knots, loosening them one by one until she was pliant in his hands. 

She wasn’t sure when she had closed her eyes, but she didn’t bother opening them when she let out a sigh, feeling his lips against her shoulder. His hands trailed down her sides to curl around her waist, pulling her back into his chest as he continued to mouth at her skin. The silverette uncurled her arms from her pulled up legs, resting them on the edge of the tub with her hands in his knees as she let her head fall back on his shoulder, feeling his arousal against her bum. Instead of finding it weird like she thought she would initially feel about the intimate parts of a man, she felt her body heat up, her lower abdomen tingling with the knowledge that she was the cause of it. That she was the reason the pureblood king was aroused, his mouth trailing up the side of her neck and his hands digging into her hips where his arms were wrapped fully around her waist. It did wonders for her self-confidence and she relaxed into his, turning her head to meet his lips with her own when he reached her ear. She swore she heard the barest of groans fall from his lips as she reached one of her hands up to his nape, tasting the seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue. He chased after her when she pulled back, opening her eyes to meet his half-lidded gaze. 

“Touch me” she said, though it sounded more like a breathy request, one the older vampire wouldn’t even dream of denying. With a soft grunt, he lowered one of his hand to her core, fingers folding across her pubic mound to find the sensitive nub that had her spine arch with a sharp inhale. His lips descended on her neck again, his free hand sliding up her torso to cup her breast, his limb large enough to encompass the mound nearly completely. The flesh gave easily under the pressure of his slender fingers as he squeezed, the fingertips of his other hand rubbing slow circles over the princess’s clitoris. Zero’s grip on the back of his neck tightened, her knees spreading wide enough to touch the edge of the tub to give him more space, biting down on her lower lip as she rolled her hips up into his hand. A breath rushed from her lungs, her lips parting when slender digits slid in between her lower lips, touching the cavern hidden between the folds without breaching it. The roll of her hips stuttered each time he withdrew his fingers only to slide them down again, never penetrating her. 

“Kaname” she breathed his name when he finally did, gripping his thigh and his nape when she felt a long digit brush against her inner walls as it slid into her easily, her body accepting the intrusion and desperate for more. A gasp was torn from her lips when the hand on her breast kneaded the flesh harshly but not enough to hurt, sending a jolt down her spine to her lower abdomen. She turned her head to meet her lover’s lips hungrily, accepting his tongue into her mouth as effortlessly as she accepted a second finger into her womanhood. A soft moan was muffled in between their lips as he withdrew his digits to the tips before sliding back in, slowly fingering her open while she pressed her buttocks against his cock with each roll of her hips to meet the thrusting of his fingers. With the hand that was not resting in his nape, fingers braided into his hair, she reached back into between their bodies, hearing the brunet groan when she corrected the ankle of his manhood so it fitted in the cleft of her ass, the slid smooth with the water that surrounded them.  

“Zero” the older pureblood growled out, pushing his hips up in response, jabbing his fingers into her almost painfully before curling his fingers. However, it was not pain she felt and the sound she made was not one of discomfort, her head falling back on his shoulder once more as her breath fell jaggedly from parted and moist lips. Kaname’s hand left her breast, sliding up to her chin to turn her head, allowing him to capture her already kiss-bruised lips, swallowing ever moan he drew from her as he fingered her, massaging her insides with his digits until he noticed she was close, her voice rising in pitch and her thighs twitching with each brush of his palm against her clitoris. He pulled away from her lips, manipulating the angle of her face by her chin so he had the best view of her flushed cheeks and half-lidded eyes. He revelled in the whine she let out when he removed his fingers from her body, leaving her teetering dangerously on the edge of an orgasm. Part of Zero wanted to snap at him for leaving her hanging, but the other part was overly aware of the cock against her butt and the promise it brought. 

Even without any prompting, she turned around, ignoring the water that spilled over the edge of the tub as she shifted onto her knees, feeling Kaname’s hands on her hips, drawing her closer and closer until she was straddling him. More water spilled over the edge as she curled her arms around his shoulders, her legs crossing at the ankles behind his lower back as she pressed her lips against his, rolling her hips into his pelvis, a shudder running down her spine at the sensation of his erection sliding in between her parted folds. Kaname groaned against her mouth, his hands gripping her ass-cheeks to prolong the contact as he grinded his hips up. The silverette arched her spine, pressing her chest against his as she lifted her hips, feeling him reach in between them to grip his own manhood. Zero gasped softly as the head of his cock touched her clitoris, circling it teasingly before sliding further in between her legs, spreading apart her folds as he lined himself up. He didn’t ask if she was ready or if she was sure, trusting her to have stopped him if she hadn’t wanted this, and pulled her down.  

The Hio princess bit on her lip as the first inches of his cock sank into her, her forehead resting against his, skins damp with sweat that was caused by both the fire flickering in the hearth and the heated air between them, the cooling water around them balancing out the hot temperature of their bodies that only seemed to rise with each inch the silverette continued to sink down on her lover. Kaname was holding on with the last of his sanity, allowing the younger pureblood to take her time with taking him in, knowing he wasn’t exactly small and not wanting her to be in any pain. His grip on her hips was painful, even more so than his manhood stretching her open, but the huntress didn’t mind, knowing that it was either that or him losing it. And to be honest, she was grateful for the time he gave her to adjust to him. Two fingers were nothing compared to his size down below and while Zero’s endurance to pain was high, this was not the kind of strain she was used to. Fortunately, the pain quickly turned into a dull throbbing that switched over to something similar to pleasure when she rolled her hips experimentally. 

Kaname’s hands on her hips twitched and only now, she became aware of his gaze on her, his eyes half-lidded and fully black, locked onto her without looking away from even a split second. She wondered if he had even blinked as she flushed self-conscious, hoping the face she had been making hadn’t been ridiculous. 

“Move a bit, won’t you. I won’t do everything on my own” Zero said, reaching up to tuck a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear and wondering if she shouldn’t have when Kaname’s jaw snapped shut audibly. 

“Don’t incite me any more than this, Zero. I won’t be able to hold back” the ancestor warned in a voice so low, it was practically a growl. The huntress lowered her hand back onto his shoulder, her fingers playing with the sweat-damp hair that was matted to his nape. 

“I’m not made of porcelain. I won’t break” she told him and felt his fingertips dig into her flesh, his nails threatening to break through her skin as his cock throbbed inside of her, jabbing her inner walls and causing her thighs to twitch. Well, that was an interesting sensation. 

“You just might if I’m not careful” the brunet gritted out and hissed softly when the silverette tugged on his hair sharply, pressing her lips against his harshly. She dominated the kiss, feeling his entire body jerk when she nipped at his lips before pulling back, stopping him from chasing after her with her grip on his hair. 

“Try me. I’m not so weak that someone like you can break me even if you tried” she said and that seemed to do it. Kaname’s already frayed restrained snapped and he lost it, surging forward with a snarl to attack the silverette’s mouth, tipping their balance until he caught himself on the opposite edge of the tub, half of the water thrown out of the container but neither of them paying any attention to it. His other hand rested on Zero’s back, right above her bum that was resting on the bottom of the tub, her legs wrapped tightly around his hips that snapped forward, ripping a gasp from her lips as the thrust rocked her up against the wall of the tub. His knees were spread on each side of her, giving him the perfect leverage to ram into her without restraint. Her head fell back over the edge of the tub with closed eyes revelling in the sensation of his erection sliding in and out of her, resisting the suction of her inner walls that clamped onto him each time he shifted back, eagerly accepting him back inside of her even when the head of his cock hitting her insides bordered on painful. She barely heard him growl over the sound of her own voice as his hand left her lower back to fold around her throat. There was no pressure, just a light weight against her skin, but it was enough to snap her eyes open. 

“Look at me” Kaname demanded, his thumb pressing against her jaw when she lifted her head, her barely-open eyes meeting his heated gaze. 

“Don’t you dare look away from me, Zero, ever” he warned, though it sounded anything but threatening when he was this desperate, this breathless. She listened anyway, holding his gaze even when the pleasure was nearly overwhelming enough to turn her vision white. She clung to his back, her nails digging into his skin and unintentionally drawing blood, but Kaname didn’t even seem to notice, the push and pull of his hips continued on a break-neck speed, not losing strength nor accuracy. 

“Ka-Kaname, I’m gonna cum” Zero admitted breathlessly, feeling the erection inside of her twitch at the warning. The ancestor hummed in the back of his throat, letting go of her nape where his hand had slid to after he was sure she wouldn’t look away from him, moving the limb in between their bodies. The huntress’s body spasmed when his fingers found her clitoris rubbing it in time with his thrust, hardly giving her the time to catch her breath as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge of an orgasm with every roll of his hips. This time, he allowed her to find that pinnacle, her eyelids fluttering with her effort to keep her eyes on the older pureblood as her breathing caught in her throat. Her legs jerked with each roll of his fingers, with each thrust of his hips, as he rode her through her height before starting to withdraw. 

“No!” the huntress said, her legs tightening around the brunet’s hips, preventing him with drawing out any more than he already had. 

“Zero, I’m about to cum as well” Kaname warned, his voice no louder than a growl as the reshaped copper underneath his hand protested in his grip. But Zero had no intention of letting him go. In for a penny, in for a pound. She wanted him to feel good to the very end as well. She wanted to feel him inside her for as long as possible. 

“‘S fine. Come” she said and the tub finally gave in, creaking and snapping as his claws tore through the material, taking a chunk out of it. 

“Fuck” the ancestor cursed uncharacteristically, snapping his hips forward with renewed vigour, ramming into her oversensitive body and tearing another moan from her lips. It didn’t take long before he reached his climax, spilling himself inside of her with a grunt, his eyes never once leaving her face, revelling in the debauched expression he had managed to put on her normally stoic face. With a groan, he lowered himself to meet her lips with his, moulding them together passionately but satisfied, a little too heatedly to be called languid but the silverette was no less responsive. He refused to pull back entirely, resting his forehead against her with closed eyes as he felt her inner walls clench around him, milking him from the last of his orgasm. 

“You do know that just because there are only a handful of purebloods, it isn’t necessarily because they are less fertile than other vampires, right” he said, wondering if she had told him to go ahead and cum inside of her in the heat of the moment, or if she had thought it through. The silverette scoffed, closing her eyes as she rested her head back, letting her body finally go slack against the interior of the tub, careful to avoid the torn edges of the missing chunk that was found in Kaname’s hand. 

“You don’t need to worry about that. Busa and I were bored, so we came up with a birth-control pill that works for purebloods” she told him, chuckling at the expression on his face. He was too shocked to feel even an ounce of jealousy. 

“You were  _bored_  so you invented birth-control for purebloods?” he asked incredulously, the ‘who the fuck does then when they are bored?’ hanging unspoken in the air.  

“You owe me and my roommate a new bathtub, though. We were pretty fond of this one” she said, rising into a sitting position, grateful for her vampiric healing. She was sure she would have been sore for days if she’d been human. Kaname raised an eyebrow at the smirk on her lips as she slid her hands down to his ass, earning a grunt as she squeezed the globes, drawing him deeper inside her. 

“Want to destroy the shower too, or do you need a few minutes to recover?” 


	19. Goodbye.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait!   
> I do hope you'll still like it, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

It was a crisis meeting, yet none of the attendants were particularly panicked. Yes, they were tense and on edge, but there was no shouting, no accusations, no pointed fingers. Zero was glad that the council Kaname had picked out proved to be rational, at the very least. The former council would have been pointing fingers, at both her for seducing their king and at their king for choosing the huntress over Yuuki, driving her away. It could be considered the truth in a way, but the new council realized that purebloods had feelings too. Yes, some of them were pro-monarchy, but they recognized that purebloods were people as well, and not things they could put on pedestals and worship. The relationship between Kaname and Zero was neither confirmed nor denied, but the entire vampire society knew that they were the reason why Yuuki had disappeared. 

“For now, our priority should be neither to quell the rumours, nor to find Yuuki” Kaien said, the expression on his face giving nothing away but the look in his eyes speaking volumes of how little he wanted to say the words. He loved Yuuki and all of them had kept quiet about the change she had gone through so his memory of her had remained the same. It had been Zero’s request that everyone had listened to even without knowing her reasons. Kaien was old and he’d lived for much too long for a human, had lost more than anyone should lose. The blonde knew his days were getting numbered and the last thing Zero wanted was for him to lose the person he had viewed as his daughter.  

“Our priority is putting an end to this war before it can fully break out” the hunter’s president said, but not all of them were in agreement. 

“My apologies, President Cross, but Kuran Yuuki is a very important person in our society. Our people will rage if they find out we are not taking measures to find her” one of the aristocrats said. He wasn’t particularly fond of Yuuki and his wife was firmly on Zero’s side, the silverette knew because she had met the couple during a gala and his wife had told her herself, but he was looking at the big picture, taking in account all risks and wanting to minimize them as much as possible. 

“I agree with Domen-san” Zero said, startling the others as they turned their attention to her. 

“Yuuki has many supporters in the vampire society and if they are not pacified, they might rebel against the council. If that happens, they will be occupied with dealing with this rebellion and that will leave the hunters on their own to deal with the threat of war” she pointed out, folding her hands on the table in front of her. 

“In any other occasion, not a problem. Dealing with vampire threats is what hunters are trained for, what we are paid to do. But we can’t deny the fact that our weapons are dying and we have yet to find a solution for that. We will be able to hold out for a little longer, but if it comes to a war, we won’t be able to take it” the Hio princess said, looking away from Domen to her superiors, Kaien and Yagari. 

“Because this is a threat to all three of our races, we bother with these meetings. Pacifying Yuuki’s faction is tricky but not impossible. We can spare a few hunters to stroke their egos and use our help against them when they start rebelling because they need to step up in a fight that threatens all of us. Yuuki might not be found by then, but war waits for no-one. They will refuse to assist us if we don’t offer our support” she said. She was keeping quiet about the fact that she was the only one in this room who was aware of where Yuuki was. Sayori had confirmed her suspicions when she had told the silverette that Yuuki had demanded to meet with her and had told the rose-blonde of her change of plans, telling her to wait for further instructions on what to do with Zero. The Hio princess had decided not to say anything about it, telling the others not to either. Kaname had enough to deal with without his traitorous descendant running over to the enemy in an attempt to gain his attention. 

“Then what do you suggest?” Yagari asked and the silverette looked at him. Her teacher knew her too well not to notice that she was hiding something, but he also realized she had a reason for it and that she wouldn’t speak about it even if pressured. 

“We send a few of our hunters out for scouting and tracking, one of our elders with one of our rookies or teachers with their students. It’ll be a good training for them and the aristocrats won’t be able to say anything because we are doing exactly what they are asking for. They can’t demand us to bring Yuuki back, because that would mean having a pureblood obey the orders of a hunter, which would be spitting on their pride” she said before looking over to the other side of the table. 

“Aidou-san has already made one of his laboratories, including the scientists working there, available to his son, with whom I've been searching for a solution to our weapon problem. Since they are powered by a pureblood heart, we’ve been looking for a way to preserve it even in the furnace. Purebloods are amazingly resilient, so we’ve been working on a way to, let’s say, dope it up, trick it into lasting longer so we have a little more time to search for a permanent solution” she said and turned back to Kaien and Yagari. 

“We’re hoping to be finished with it soon, but it might still take a little while. At least until then, we’ll have to keep Yuuki’s faction pacified or they will use it against us. Saying we are in their debt, they’ll force us to withdraw all our hunters to look for Yuuki if we don’t want to break this pact, which is something we cannot afford to happen since it will leave the human population prey to the hordes of Es that were created, not to mention their families and the weaker vampires” she warned and Kaien looked surprised, not having expected her to have thought that far, already having taken steps to ensure that they would be able to continue doing their jobs.  

“There is also another issue” one of the two women on the vampire council said, her hair up in a bun that was just as stern as her expression. 

“It is of less priority, of course, but it is still something that needs to be dealt with” she said and Kaien smiled at her, making a gesture with his hand for her to toss it on the table. 

“Yuuki’s faction, as Hio-sama has named it, isn’t the only faction that has to be pacified. It is unheard of in our society for a pureblood to be unattached, not to mention that we have two of them, both of whom are rumoured to be involved. Because this is unconfirmed, it will create a conflict between the two factions. We cannot give our support to hunters if our society is in shambles” she said, giving the silverette and her own superior a pointed look. Zero understood her worry because it was a legit concern, but this was truly the last thing she wanted to deal with. Regrettably, while low in priority, it was not something they could just brush under the carpet. 

“That issue will be dealt with soon” Kaname assured the council member, meeting the silverette’s gaze shortly before turning to Kaien. The Hio princess wasn’t sure she was going to like how he would be dealing with the issue, but that was something they could discuss later, when they had the time to do so. For now, it settled the council member’s worry, allowing them to move on from the subject of their undefined relationship and bring up the other issues on the agenda. 

“Those aristocrats really need to get their priorities sorted” Yagari complained when they exited the meeting room, too late for their liking. Thanks to Zero and her master’s efficiency and unwillingness to bullshit around, it had already been concluded much sooner than in the past, but it had still taken too long in their eyes. Mostly because the silverette had somewhere to be right after this. It had been another point on their agenda, the issue they had opened the meeting with and the whole reason for it. One of their trackers had managed to trail his target all the way to a location he assumed was a hide-out, confirmed when he had staked out the area and saw more vampires show up, some bringing dinner with them while others had arrived empty handed. Kaien had decided to crack down on it and had requested Zero to take command of the operation. She’d been pretty busy with organizing the whole thing along with some of the more experienced hunters and really hadn’t want to be wasting her time on a meeting, but as next president, both current presidents had insisted on her presence. 

She already loathed her future job. 

“They’re better than the previous council” Kaien, ever the optimist, said with a smile on his pleased. 

“Because they are dead” Zero responded, gaining a choking noise from the blonde hunter and a snort from her master. 

“The only good vampire is a dead vampire” Yagari said and the older hunter send him a blank look. 

“Did you forget Zerorin is a vampire?” he asked and a single blue eye slid over to the mentioned huntress, meeting her lavender orbs before both of them turned to the blonde. 

“The only good vampire is a dead vampire” they repeated synchronized, if only to annoy the other man. Honestly, Kaien should be too old to react to this kind of teasing, but he wasn’t. Or perhaps he didn’t want to be. Whatever it was, both younger hunters got tired of it rather quickly and were grateful that the blonde wasn’t in the mood to continue his act either, too on edge about what was going to happen. Zero wondered why other people were always more nervous about things that involved her than she was. Then again, the fact that she was calm was a good thing, considering how high strung the other hunters were when they arrived at HQ. The younger hunters immediately relaxed at the sight of their three superiors walking through the grand doors, stopping in front of the crowd that had gathered, only the silverette stepping forward to take the word while the two men flanking her remained where they were. 

“Everyone gather around and form three lines. Cross, Yagari and I will check your supplies for a final time before you get on the vans behind us” she said, her voice projecting well even without her raising her volume. For once, she was grateful for the former president’s theatrical tastes. She doubted there was a single place with better acoustics than a church, even if it was a renovated one. 

“Shouldn’t you be giving a speech? Motivate us or something?” Kaito asked, standing at the front with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. He knew how much the silverette hated speaking in public, especially in the spotlight like this. He was just doing it to get on her nerves. But if he wanted to do so today, he would need to do a whole lot better than that because for some reason, Zero just couldn’t get nervous. Her state of mind was serene and solid like a rock, untouched by the adrenaline and nerves that permeated the air. 

“If you need to be motivated to hunt vampires, you’ve chosen the wrong line of work” she volleyed back to her brother-in-arms without missing a beat before turning to the other hunters. 

“It’s your own choice whether you want to come or not because I can’t guarantee your safety. If anyone wants to back out, this is your last chance” she warned, hearing him mumble something about her being the worst motivational speaker ever. Then again, what had he expected? That she would give a speech about how she would lay down her life for them to keep them safe and whatnot? As if none of these hunters knew that they could be dead by the end of the day. It was literally the first thing every hunter learned, that death was the second biggest occupational hazard besides paranoia. If he really wanted a speech, he could give it himself. Zero couldn’t be bothered with it. She stepped back again, watching the hunters gather into three separate lines in front of the two presidents and the future one, passing by them after a final check of their supplies, filing into the vans parked in the courtyard. 

“Good luck” Kaien said as Zero stepped up to the closest van, looking back at two men responsible for raising her for a good part of her life. Both of them looked worried and were shit at hiding it, though Yagari tried where Kaien didn’t. The Hio princess refused to give them some kind of tearful goodbye that would raise a death flag and rolled with her eyes as she stepped into the van, closing the door behind her before taking place on the bench next to Kaito. The hunter sitting closest to the driver knocked on the wall separating the cabin from the loading area, giving the green-light for departure. Sitting next to Kaito when she still remembered his confession would have been awkward in any other situation, but in the current one, both of them had their eyes closed, attention focussed on their breathing to regulate their heart-beat. Their master had always taught them to meditate before a hunt, in order to get in the right head-space. They didn’t need to be calm, because that was when people were caught off guard, what got them killed. Collected was what they were going for, a state of mind that would allow them to keep their shit together while dealing with anything that was thrown at them without freezing up because of the element of surprise. 

It was in that state of mind that they reached the location, both of them opening their eyes slowly in a way that unnerved the hunters around them, knowing fully well what a force of nature their master was when he was in that state of mind. 

“From here on out, we remain quiet and communicate with sign-language. We don’t know how large their hearing range is and I want as little escapees as possible” Zero said, though it was something she repeated for the seventh time. She wanted to be sure everyone was as quiet as possible. Takuma’s hearing-range was no joke and exceeded even her own and Kaname’s. She didn’t want to risk another vampire with that kind of range picking up their conversations or movements and alerting the others, allowing them to escape without leaving any witnesses. The humans, if they were still alive, were obviously their priority and she’d made sure everyone was aware of it. 

They approached the house, split up in four platoons. Zero had taken the front, Jinmu the right flank, Kaito the back and Hamasaki through the roof, entering the house through the attic. From the outside, the house looked normal, rather small and ending a row of house that all looked exactly the same. But if it had been a normal house, there wouldn’t have been any need for look-outs. Though, faced with skilled hunters who knew what they were doing, they might as well not be there at all. Zero removed her hand from where she had wrapped it over the look-out’s mouth, gently lowering him to the ground without caring about the odd angle of his head, his neck broken with a muffled snap. She glanced back at the hunters behind her as she removed bloody rose from her holster before sneaking further into the house, checking room after room until she met up with the other platoon leaders, who gave her the same ‘all clear’ she gave them. All but Hamasaki’s platoon descended the stairs to the basement, the single platoon remaining behind in case some slipped past the others and tried to escape above ground. 

After having studied the sewers running underneath the town, they were not surprised to find a hatch leading to an underground passageway in the basement, barely big enough for two to walk next to each other without rubbing shoulders. The open area the sunken hallway lead to wasn’t outside of their calculations either, and it was there that they found their first targets. The first shots were fired, alerting any other vampire in the area, but unfortunately missing their targets. Poor aim wasn’t the problem, but their weapons were weakened, which mean that their charm-bullets moved slower, slow enough for doped up level E vampires to dodge them when they had seen them coming, allowing them to counter attack with a mindless viciousness. Three sword-users rushed forward to take them on, blocking the daggers the level E’s unsheathed and allowing the rest of the hunters to continue deeper into the passageway. There was no doubt that they had been discovered after the shots had rung out, which meant that they couldn’t afford to lose any time. They had a squad stationed outside the only exit other than the house, but there was only so much a handful of hunters could do against the hundreds of vampires they assumed were hidden. 

Their tracker, the one who had report to Kaien about the hide-out, had told him he had seen at least 142 of them enter the house, but as they reached another large area, nearly triple the size of the previous one, it was obvious that it was a lot more than just that. The vampires had been living in the underground space for quite a while it seemed, and they didn’t take well to having their home invaded. The hunters were severely outnumbered fifteen to one, vampires intoxicated on adrenaline and drugs that removed their limits against hunters with weapons that were getting more and more worn with each shot that was fired or each swipe they were swung. Blades could still be used even when they weren’t anti-vampiric and firearms could be turned into clubs or other blunt melee weapons, but in these kind of conditions, they would not be able to hold out for very long, too overwhelmed by the numbers of their opponents. Zero could already predict how this was going to end if she did not step it up and thinned the crowd to more manageable numbers.  

Discarding the ankle-length trench-coat all hunters wore, she fitted in better with their targets, revealing the battle armour she wore underneath the coat. However, without a doubt, hers stood out a lot more for various reasons. The quality was one of those reason, making the battle armours the doped up vampires were wearing look like rags. White, mint-green and gold were the three main colours while the style of the attire was nothing short of extremely extravagant. Her legs were mostly covered by the garters that were attached to her hotpants and that matched the bodysuit that covered only part of her torso with dense white lace. The middle of her chest was left completely bare from her throat down to the waistband of her shorts, a tail-coat belt held closed around her waist with gold chains running from one hip to the other, the back of the green-trimmed white fabric reaching a little above her popliteal fossa. The belt was connected to the garment fitted tightly around her neck, her spine guarded by a strip of solid fabric but her sides left bare save for the lace.  

It was impossible to look past the weapons that covered her body in all the places her attire did, hanging from her belt, attached to her legs, running up her back. Arm-guards were tied around her forearms, protecting the back of her hands and securing daggers all around the limb, while golden cuffs fixed daggers around her biceps. The heels of her boots could be considered weapons as well and the mint-green and gold decorated ankle and knee plates were steel-enforced. The thing that broke when the bridge of her foot connected with a vampire’s neck, was not the ankle plate, but the bone it had connected with. The force behind her kick pulled the vampire off his feet and catapulted him away, gaining a shocked look from the rookie that had been his target. 

“You good?” she asked, seeing the young hunter give her a shaky nod, returning it curtly before pushing off in the opposite direction, reaching with each hand for a dagger. She narrowed her eyes as she mapped out a way through the underground room that had turned into a battlefield. She needed to draw the attention away from both the humans cowering against the wall of the room and the hunters that had been overwhelmed since they had stepped foot inside the basement. And what better way to draw the attention of a vampire than to draw some blood. Not hers, not a human’s, but theirs as she dashed past them unnoticed until the cuts on their bodies opened, turning their attention to her where she was on the opposite space than where she had been just seconds ago. Quite literally considering her leap had defied gravity and her feet were currently placed on the ceiling, allowing her to push off towards the ground, turning her feet over her head in the correct direction as she swiped our her daggers, landing in a crouch half a second before two heads touched the ground with a dull thud. The action caused a stand-still in the fight, all eyes directed at her. Some in relief, some in awe, but most of them in rage, heightened by the drugs they had been fed. 

“Now that I have your attention” Zero said, carelessly flicking the blood off her daggers before starting to twirl them around in her hands, her eyes trailing around the room. “If any of you is willing to surrender, we will spare your lives. If not, you will draw your last breath right here, right now.” 

“Little lady, do you have any idea who you are talking to?” 

“As if we’d surrender!” 

“I will no longer bow for a pureblood!” 

“Fuck surrender! We’ll think of sparing your life if you become or dog.” 

“I expected as much. But if that is your answer” Zero said as she slid her daggers back into the sheaths, reaching for the parts of her double-sided spear on her lower back, assembling it in a flash. “Then die.” 

And die they did. Zero didn’t hold back, not in the slightest. She couldn’t afford to. A master of the arts she might be, but against opponents who felt no fear, no pain, and no limits, it was no surprise that she received a few cuts and bruises here and there. It was unavoidable during a fight with weapon-users, whether they were properly trained or trained in a way similar enough to do damage. Not that the fight lasted long. By the time the last vampire attacking her had fallen, her injuries had already healed, allowing her to survey the room and see the other hunters finish up the vampires who thought they were easier preys. They were, but not easy enough to be taken out by just anything or anyone. Her eyes landed on the group of humans gathered together in one area of the room, shivering and unable to look up. She could smell their fear in the air along with their tears, barely noticeable underneath the overwhelming scent of blood that had her eyes glow. Some of the hunters tried to coax them into going outside, but they were too frightened to do anything but look up in fear at the pureblood standing in the middle of the room. 

“If you come with us, we’ll bring you somewhere safe. No harm will befall you and nobody will hurt you” Zero said as she regarded the humans, ignoring the blood that was splattered on her face and soaked into what little fabric covered her body. She held the gaze of the oldest woman, the only one brave enough to meet her lavender orbs.  

“I promise.” 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

Curses penetrated the normally deadly silent forest as Aidou tripped over yet another root he hadn’t seen. Nobody looked up from it or bothered to scold him, knowing they would have the same problem if they didn’t keep their undivided focus on the person before them, desperate not to lose them in the fog that hung around them, too thick to see further than their hand when they stretched out an arm. Besides, his voice drove away the eerie quiet that did not fit with the image of a forest. There was not a single birdcall and not a hint of quiet footsteps of any kind of mammal that would be found in this type of habitat. At this point, even the ominous howl of a wolf would have made the forest more inviting, but there was nothing. It was as if there was a bubble around the mountain that sound could not penetrate. That life could not penetrate. Kaname suspected they were the only things alive in the forest and wondered where Zero’s familiar was leading them. 

Kaito had informed them before cross-over that Zero was expecting him, and his inner court had refused to be left behind, saying something about not allowing him to go on his own when they still hadn’t found whoever was behind these attacks. However, it was rather obvious that were worried about their silver-haired perfect, not having heard a peep from her after the crackdown. The ancestor shared their worry despite knowing it would be a cold day in hell before his lover was anything but ready for a fight. He had always thought he was the most paranoid being to ever walk this earth, but the Hio princess could be worse than him at times. He wouldn’t be surprised if this fog was her doing, to keep her location hidden. Without her familiar, they would have gotten lost even before they had stepped foot inside the forest. He did wonder how she had known when to send her familiar, or if the dog had perhaps been waiting for them. Judging by how long it had taken for the animal to appear before them where they had stood at the foot of the mountain, unwilling to enter the ominous forest, he doubted it was the latter. 

“Is it me, or is there something that is dyeing the fog?” Takuma asked behind the pureblood who hadn’t been willing to mention anything about the soft glow of colours he had been seeing, unsure if it had been just a trick of his mind after losing track of how long they’d been waling for without having any clue of where they were going. 

“Oh, so it’s not my imagination” Shiki mumbled, holding tightly onto the back of the green-eyed aristocrat’s shirt, his other hand clutching Rima’s to make sure they didn’t get separated. Ruka walked closely behind the electricity-user with Aidou behind her and Akatsuki bringing up the read, holding up a ball of fire that barely visible for the ancestor.  

“That must mean we’re nearly there” Kaname said and heard Ruka and Aidou breathe a sigh of relief. However, he had no idea just how close or how far ‘nearly there’ was, since the fog didn’t clear up in the slightest. At least not until it just wasn’t there anymore. A sense of vertigo overwhelmed him when the mist stopped abruptly, making a clear difference between the forest and the area that was tree-free save for a few of them that look completely out of place, too bright against the dark and misty backdrop. 

“Glad to see you guys made it” a voice spoke up, sounding vaguely amused as the group of aristocrats tried to blink away their disorientation, even going as far as to shake their heads in an attempt to physically shake off their dizziness. “I was afraid you’d get lost and die in the forest even with a guide.” 

Kaname had never really noticed how similar Zero looked to her mother, always thinking she looked like a female copy of her father. However, as she stood before them, he was forced to revise that thought. Wearing a pale hikizuri with painted peach blossom branches that contrasted yet matched the neck-piece of her combat armour that wav visible around her throat, along with her hair tied by a piece of paper low on her back, the resemblance was unignorable. The colour of her hair and her eyes were her father through and through, she had said, but the way she held herself and her elegance was exactly like her mother and was only highlighted when she dressed traditionally.  

“Why does that not sound like a joke when you say it?” Aidou asked and Zero raised an eyebrow at him, caressing the top of her familiar’s head before it dissolved into fog until nothing of its presence was left. 

“Because it’s not a joke” she responded, gaining a few looks but no questions. It seemed like his inner circle had finally learned not to ask any questions they didn’t want to know the answer to. Considering they had almost gotten lost even with Zero’s familiar guiding them, they didn’t need to her draw her a picture of what happened if someone entered the forest without a guide. The question was, would they have gotten lost for long enough to starve? Judging by the size of the mountain and the thickness of the mist, Kaname didn’t want an answer either. 

“Where is this place even?” Ruka asked, hoping that that was a safe inquiry that wouldn’t gain them any nightmares. She looked around curiously, taking in every brightly-coloured and heavily fragranced trees that were ill-fitted in the eerie forest but somehow looked like they belonged there, surrounding a traditional Japanese mansion that wasn’t as large as the Kuran mansion, but was nothing to scoff at either. It was as if an entirely different world had been built within this dome the fog couldn’t touch. It was beautiful, but only to those who could appreciate it. Zero was clearly one of those people, looking more at ease surrounded by these trees than she did at the academy. 

“This is my ancestral home” she said, explaining the heavy feeling of power that created a low buzz in the air around them. Kaname’s eyes trailed towards the trees, recognizing a sakura tree and a peach blossom tree standing closely together.  

“Each of these trees sprouted from the earth at the birth of a Hio and grew as their power did, so I would appreciate it if you showed them the respect they deserved. Other than that, my home is yours to use as you please for the time you are here” Zero said and immediately, Takuma took a step back from the syringa reticulata he had approached. 

“And the reason why we are here?” Kaname asked, part of him regretting voicing the necessary question as he saw the amusement fade from her face, her expression growing cold and the glint in her eyes guilty. 

“Follow me” she said instead of answering his question, turning away from the group who she knew would follow after her even without being told to. Now that they knew they were in the Hio ancestral home, the aristocrats had gotten somewhat nervous, their instincts making them wary of the low hum of power in the air. Kaname stepped up next to his lover, trying to catch her conflicted gaze but swiftly distracted by the scent of blood. Human blood. He wasn’t the only one. 

“Zero, why is there?” Aidou started asking but was cut off by a look from his cousin, shaking his head no and silently telling him to be patient. He didn’t have to wait long for an answer to his question as Zero stopped in front of two fusuma doors, sliding them open completely before walking inside the large tatami room that laid behind it. Kaname’s eyes widened along with those of his inner circle as they watched the scene before them. Futons were lined up on two rows inside the room, each one filled by a human, varying of both age and gender, the oldest no older than early thirty and the youngers barely looking 5. Some of them were sitting up, but most of them were laying down. The smell of blood was no doubt from their injuries, both those that had been inflicted on them by a third party, but some were inflicted by themselves, as was proven by the young man that was held down by Yuuya, preventing him from tearing open his skin with his own nails. 

“Hime-sama” an elderly lady, a level C vampire as far as Kaname could tell, bowed for the silverette who had entered the room, walking over to the youth that was being held down. She crouched down in front of him as the long-haired raven glanced up at her, watching her place her hand over his eyes, the gesture gentle and unhesitant despite the flinch it gained. 

“Everything is alright now. Go to sleep” the Hio princess said, the hint of power seeped into her voice causing some of the aristocrats to shiver. Not out of fear, but in response to the comfort and the warmth that put the human to sleep instantly. 

“The humans you see here now, are all victims we rescued from the hideout we cracked down on. I brought them here so they could recover in peace, without needing to fear anyone coming close to them” Zero said as she stood up, turning her attention to the mentioned victims instead of the Kuran king and his inner court. “Most of them were nearly completely drained from blood, save for a few. All of them were abused, in every way you are thinking of in some cases, with all the consequences that it entails, as you’ve seen.” 

Kaname felt vaguely nauseous, looking at the humans that were looking at them in fear and uneasy. Some had a look of resignation over them, as if they had given up, while only one looked like he was angry enough to reach for a weapon to slaughter them with. In total, Kaname counted thirty-seven of them, taken care of by three vampires. Four, as the fusuma door on the other side of the room slid open to reveal Seiren walking in with a bucket of water and several towels draped over the edge. The purplette did no more than lower her head to her master and the inner circle before she kneeled down next to a woman on the other end of the row, who smiled gratefully at the prospect of being wiped down with lukewarm water, croaking out an apology for forcing her to deal with the scent of urine because she could not move with her pelvic area broken. Seiren did not wave it off as nothing, knowing that was the last thing the woman wanted, but neither did she make a big deal out of it, working gently and meticulously without paying attention to anything else. 

Kaname to no offence to her lack of greeting, stepping forward along with the aristocrats to ask what they could do to be of help. That was why Zero had called them over, after all. The only people who she trusted and knew were strong enough to protect these humans now that the hunters had all but lost the use of their weapons. 

“Kaname” Zero spoke up with a hand on his shoulder, drawing him away from the twelve-year-old who was running a high fever, his body desperately fighting off a septic shock that was caused by the festering stump where his arm had been torn off for someone’s enjoyment. The boy was drifting in and out of semi-conscious, hallucinating when his eyes were half-way open and barely hanging on to his life when they were closed. Kaname had seen a lot of scenes like these in his past life, had been doing the exact same thing back then as he did now, including wondering what good a pureblood’s powers were when all they could do in moments like these was feel helpless or curse them to living the damned life of a vampire. 

“Are you alright? Is the blood too much for you?” Kaname asked, wiping his hands on the towel hanging from one of his beltloops, trying to get as much of the blood off his limbs as he followed his lover to the corner of the room. The silverette send him a glare for his genuine concern, knowing how little blood she ingested besides the blood tablets. 

“If it is, you can always take some of mine” the ancestor suggested, unimpressed by the unvoiced threat. He knew she wouldn’t hurt him, even if she took offence to his lack of faith in her self-control. However, it wasn’t a lack of faith, but a well-founded worry that she would push herself too much without informing anyone. It was what she always did, after all. 

“Instead of giving it to me, give it to those over there” Zero answered with her arms folded across her chest, jerking her chin at the group of humans. She likely meant a few of them in particular, and Kaname didn’t need her to point them out specifically to know which ones she was talking about. So he hadn’t sensed wrong after all. A few of the victims were transitioning. 

“Zero, even if I wanted to, I can’t help those who weren’t bitten by me” Kaname said, genuinely wishing he could have helped more. The princess’s expression became complicated, even more so than before. There were words on the tip of her tongue that she refused to speak, swallowing them down in favour of others. 

“I’m not telling you to give all of them your blood, just some of them. If my suspicions are right, then that’s good, and if they aren’t, your blood will buy them some time” she said before looking up at him, her gaze hard but hiding a lot of guilt and unwillingness to ask this of him. “You trust me, right?” 

Kaname leaned down, bridging the short distance between them to connect their mouths with a gentle press. He took it no further than that, but remained in place to drag out the contact for as long as he could before pulling back, bringing up a hand to caress her cheek with the back of his fingers. There was a slight pinkish hue on her cheeks, one he would have missed if his forehead hadn’t been resting against hers. 

“Which ones?” he asked and she closed her eyes. 

“Go to the room next to this one. I’ll bring them to you” she said before pulling her forehead away from his, giving his hand a soft squeeze. “I don’t want anyone to see what will happen.” 

Kaname separated himself from the others in the room she had asked him to move in to, not waiting too long before Zero walked inside the room, closing the door behind her with a charm after Yuuya and Seiren had carried mortals into the room because they were unable to walk on their own. The Kuran pureblood found himself on the receiving end of four suspicious gazes as Zero kneeled down next to him, her hands folded in her lap. It took a bit of convincing and a hint of a threat on Zero’s side for the humans to agree with taking some of Kaname’s blood, already having been explained what was happening to them and what would happen if they didn’t. The change happened almost immediately and was undeniable, causing Kaname’s stomach to turn as he looked at the newly turned vampires in front of him. 

“Blood ties are really something, aren’t they?” Zero asked, her voice frosty and her expression closed off, but there was hurt in her voice, not to mention guilt that seemed to radiate off her. She felt responsible for this. 

“How did you know?” Kaname asked, barely able to get the following words across his lips but knowing they needed to be said and that he needed to be the one to say them, even if they tasted like ash in his mouth. “That Yuuki changed them?” 

“Look at them. Look carefully” she said and Kaname did. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for until he saw the youngest, a boy barely the age of seven, who had been glaring at them from the moment they had stepped foot inside the room. Who had been hiding behind Zero’s legs when they had walked inside this room. Who looked just as vindictive as Zero when she had attacked him with a butterknife all those years ago. A stone settled in the pit of his stomach as his eyes trailed across the four in front of him, a teenaged girl with white hair and cherry-blossom eyes that was rather typical for an albino, a young twentier with a stone face and ears pierced three times, a tall girl barely reaching ten with narrow-shaped eyes and a defined cupid’s bow.  

They all shared similarities or connections with the pureblood next to him, even if only slightly. 

This had been an act of revenge.  

This was Yuuki taking out her anger on weaker beings because she couldn’t take it out in the target of her anger. 

“This isn’t your fault” Kaname said but Zero wasn’t listening to him. She smoothly rose to her feet, her eyes closed, as if she was unwilling to look at the reality around her. 

“It isn’t your fault either, but me saying so won’t change how you feel, right?” she asked, proving that she didn’t even need to look at her lover to know what he was thinking. 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

Two figured materialized at the entrance of a crypt, one from bats and the other from fog. The night around them was dark, shadowing entry to the hallway leading underground, but neither of them had any trouble seeing, descending into its debts fearlessly. At least until they could go no further, their path blocked by dark, gnarly branches of a sakura tree, unnaturally large to the point their circumference was larger than his head. 

“Why is this here?” Kaname asked, seeing his lover touched the branches in an almost revering way. 

“To protect the most important thing to my mother” she said and no sooner than she did, the branches creaked and protested before slowly but surely obeying the power she released, pushing them aside. Kaname didn’t hesitate before following the Hio princess, staying one step behind her to travel through the small path she created before them that closed off behind him, the large branches not allowing anyone else to pass through. It was barely allowing him to pass through, having no other choice to do so because he was walking so close to the silverette. The thickness of the entwined branches made it impossible to see what was before him or behind him and neither of what was above him, the Hio princess creating a dome around them that only sakura petals were able to penetrate, the branches losing some of them as they moved to allow them passage. 

Kaname had the feeling he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, intruding on something extremely private that should not have been disturbed. But Zero had asked him to come with her, so they had left behind the others to care for the humans and the newly turned vampires. Heine, the genderbend version of young Zero, had been the most difficult to leave behind since the silverette was the only one he trusted, but Yuuya had told him that if he wanted to swear his loyalty to Zero like he wanted to, he would need to learn a few things, distracting him for long enough for the Hio princess to leave without much drama. Since then, Zero had barely spoken a word to him, not because she was angry, but because she seemed to be occupied with whatever was going on in her mind. Kaname had tried to ask, see if he could get her to share what she was so caught up in, but she hadn’t said anything. Instead, she had taken him here, to an underground hallway filled with pureblood-created sakura branches that seemed to go on endlessly. 

“We’re here” his lover said, her voice sounding slightly off, which was not all that surprising when a wall of branches opened up barely enough to reveal the shrine that had been created for a heart. It was wrapped up in cloth that was charmed by both hunters and Hio Shizuka, but it was undoubtedly a heart. Still warm and still beating. 

“It’s my father’s” Zero said, answering the question that had barely entered Kaname’s mind, her response shocking the ancestor. 

“Your father?” he parroted as he watched her reach out for the organ, taking it out of the alcove created by branches. 

“Did you really think charms were enough to kill a pureblood?” the silverette asked, sounding too distant to properly convey her sarcasm as she watched the heart beat inside her palms, slower than a heart inside the chest of a living person, but beating none the less. 

“His body was destroyed by my stepmother’s charms, but his heart has remained alive all this time. I didn’t know about it until I read it in Ichiru’s blood and was looking for it this entire time. Mother took it away and preserved it, hoping that perhaps, one day, the remains of their hearts could be brought together and buried here, inside the crypt of my father’s ancestors” she explained before closing her eyes, slipping the heart inside her sleeve. 

“But I have another use for it” she said and Kaname frowned at her as she turned away from him, back in the direction they came from. 

“Are you coming, or are you planning on becoming one with the roots here?” she asked and the older pureblood heaved a soft sigh, resigning to not having any of his questions answered until Zero was ready to give him the answers. She often gave him the same time to figure out how he was supposed to convey his time, so the least he could do was give her the same time. However, her time was up when they stood in front of the furnace below the hunter’s association, her father’s heart in her hand and her intentions obvious. 

“Are you sure?” the ancestor asked, breaking through her trance. Lavender eyes blinked open and shut a couple of times before she directed her attention at him. He took her free hand in his, squeezing it to make sure she was listening to him. 

“This is your father’s heart. It is still beating, which means he can still be resurrected. I put Rido in the same state and he managed to return to the land of the living. If you place the heart within a bath of blood for a decennia, your father would come back as well” he told her, sure that this was not something he needed to remind her of. She had always been disgusted by the resilience of purebloods, a sentiment he shared. But if it could bring back her beloved father, the only family she had left, he’d fill an entire ocean with blood if that was what it took to revive the man. 

“I refuse” Zero said resolutely, meeting his gaze head on with more clarity than before. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have my father back. I would do anything for it. But if I did, I would be reviving an empty shell, and not my father” she said and Kaname frowned, about to protest when her gaze softened. 

“Kaname, do you remember awakening after your slumber? If you have been given the choice between remaining asleep for all eternity or reviving, what would you have picked?” she asked. 

Slumber.  

Each and every time. 

And if it had been possible, he would have chosen death. 

After losing Fuyuko, life had lost its meaning and the only reason he was currently still alive, was Zero. 

“I have always known there was something different about my father” she said, turning her attention back to the heart in the palm of her hand. 

“Ever since I was young, I could tell my father was a vampire. But because I was so young and so naïve, unable to tell the difference between purebloods and normal vampires, my stepmother was able to take advantage of me” the princess added, not an ounce of blame or resentment in her voice. Just blankness. 

“She took me to meet Cross and told me that what I felt with my father was the same. Gullible as I was, I didn’t even question it back then. And by the time my doubts returned, I could no longer ask my father and there was no-one I could talk to about it” she said before her eyes narrowed, both in pain and resignation. 

“My only regret is that I didn’t try harder to understand him. That he was all alone, even when I was with him” she said before looking up. Without any hesitance, the Hio princess threw her father’s heart into the furnace and Kaname did not try to stop her again, realizing this was the only favour she felt she could do for her father. As the fire accepted the organ as the new parent, Zero kneeled down in front of it, ignoring how the power of the furnace lashed out. She removed a folding fan from her sleeve along with small handtowel, placing the latter in front of her carefully with practiced movements. The ancestor remained silent, taking a seat on the ground close to her, but not close enough to disturb her. This was her final moment with her father and she was allowing him to be a spectator. 

“Hello, there. Over time, things fall in and out of fashion, yet the world of the gods never changes” Zero said, her voice clear and gentle as the furnace settled slowly. 

“Who the hell are you, you filthy wretch” she said, her voice strong and a frown on her face before she reached out for the fan in front of her face. 

“Me, you ask? Why, I am a shinigami” she asked, half of her face hidden behind her fan and a mysterious smile curving her lips, her eye playful. Her voice was completely different, alluring and almost mischievous, changing immediately as soon as the next words were spoken, her fan placed on the ground once more. 

“S-shinigami? Oh hell, that means I’ll die soon! This is your doing, isn’t it?” 

“Stop making such a fuss. I just wanted to have a little chat. Come here, come here. Come closer” she said, waving her hand eerily with the fan covering half of her face, every little gesture elegant and purposeful, becoming rougher as soon as she placed her fan down. Her eyes scanned the room in a shifty manner before she shuffled in place, looking almost nervous until she settled and picked up her fan once more, this time tapping it closed against her cheek with her eyes narrowed slyly. 


	20. In the end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter!  
> Thank you for putting up with me until now!  
> I hope you've enjoyed the story and will like the last chapter as well ^^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story, the OCs and the grammar mistakes.

“Sayori” Zero spoke up, startling the former-human with her presence, shaking her out of a daze she hadn’t known she’d been in. As soon as she registered where she was, blinking at the brightly-coloured purple that surrounded her, her eyes widened in shock rather than surprise. 

“I’m sorry! I’ll get out imme-” 

“It’s okay” Zero cut her off, reaching out for the branch above her head to pull herself up, climbing effortlessly towards the branch the rose-blonde was occupying, not a single tear appearing in her nagajuban as she sat down on the branch next to the younger girl, leaving a decent bit of space between them. She didn’t look at Sayori, instead looking at the drooping cluster of flowers in front of her.  

“It’s calming up here, isn’t it?” she asked and Sayori looked mortified and guilty at being caught hanging out in one of the Hio ancestral trees, but Zero didn’t care, looking over in the direction of the mansion. More specifically, the gnarly tree behind it. 

“My ancestor’s tree might be terrifying and off-putting at first sight, but the way his branches form the perfect seat and the best embrace, makes him the most comforting tree in this garden. It’s also helpful because it’s appearance scares off anyone who doesn’t know any better, so it’s the perfect place to be alone with your thoughts” she said, before looking at the wisteria flowers that surrounded her, hiding both her and her roommate from anyone looking for them. 

“But if it’s comfort you want, my grandmother’s tree is definitely anyone’s first option” she said before turning her attention to Sayori. 

“If there is something on your mind, you can try saying it to me instead of my grandmother’s tree. I’m willing to bet a kidney that I’m the one causing you to worry anyway” the silverette said, raising an eyebrow as the rose-blonde lowered her gaze. 

“I feel like I shouldn’t have told you. About Yuuki calling you out” she admitted and Zero’s eyebrow lowered again, forming a blank expression. 

“You definitely should have told me” she volleyed back without a pause, seeing Sayori’s grip on the branch underneath her tighten, her fingertips turning white from the pressure she was putting against the rough bark underneath her pads. 

“But it’s a trap” she responded but Zero was immovable. 

“So?” she asked before looking in front of her again, to the opposite side of the tree than her roommate was looking at, her back turned towards the forest while Sayori’s back was facing the mansion. 

“We both know it’s a trap, but that won’t stop me from going. That’s not your decision to make, but mine, which also makes everything that happens my responsibility” the Hio princess said before giving the former human a sideway look. 

“I didn’t agree when you decided you wanted to become a double-spy, yet you ignored me. From then on, everything that happened was your responsibility. You chose to tell me about Yuuki’s orders, knowing it was a trap and knowing I would know it is a trap. With that, you left the decision up to me, and I made it. It’s out of your hands now, Sayori” she said and the rose-blonde flinched, taking her words as accusations instead of the comfort she had meant it to be. Zero reached out, laying her hand over the younger girl’s to gain her attention, not bothering with trying to send her a smile to reassure her when it would feel forced. Her blank expression might be off-putting to some, but it was genuine. 

“I know how you feel. That is why I insisted on training you, all of you, so that even when it was out of my hands, I had something to calm myself with, knowing I had done everything I could to make sure you would be able to defend yourself. The rest was up to you and I believed that you would be able to do it” Zero said, seeing Sayori blink at her, almost visibly taking in her words and searing them into her mind. 

“You can’t train me, so I'm afraid you won’t have anything like that to assure yourself with” the pureblood said before squeezing the smaller hand underneath hers.  

“However, you know how I trained you. You know what I am capable of doing. Is it not enough, knowing how strong I am and knowing I have a duty to see this through to the end, to protect everyone behind me” she said and Sayori looked down at the hand on top of hers before looking up again, the look in her eyes a little more determined, her smile a little stronger. 

“And if things go wrong, you still have us” she responded and Zero nodded, knowing that she had thought the exact same thing when Sayori had decided she would become their double spy. She heaved a soft sight as she turned her attention to the flowers around her, giving them a sour look. 

“Honestly, my lips always become so loose when I’m here. I’m blaming it on my grandmother” she said and right at that moment, a gust of wind rustled the treetop, throwing the flowers into her face and around her head, losing enough petals to get stuck in her mouth, hair and clothes, spluttering uncharacteristically as Sayori laughed. Her hand came up to cover her mouth and muffle the sound as Zero send her a stink-eye. 

“If anyone knows about this, you’ll be running for days” she warned but knew this this conversation would stay between them even despite the mirth in light brown eyes. After all, Sayori hadn’t told anyone but her that Yuuki had found her in town when she had gone shopping for food with Aguri and Seiren, ordering her to tell only Zero that she wanted to meet. To clear things up, Yuuki had said, but it had ‘trap’ written all over it. The Kuran princess hadn’t even tried to hide it, knowing her adoptive sister would come, even if she had outright stated that she had prepared a trap. That was just the kind of person Zero was and Yuuki had no qualms about using that against her. Then again, Zero could use this to her advantage. With this, she could wrap up this whole problem in one go without risking any life but her own. 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

She had to admit, this was a well-thought-out trap. 

Whoever was working with Yuuki, had supplied her with a van the VHA had lost after the former former president had gone rogue. These vans were embedded with hunter charms that could keep an aristocrat down, if necessary. A pureblood was something different, but they had thought of something for that as well, using one of the portable cages, they had trapped her in a charmed dome, limiting her movements. In total, as she closed her eyes, she could sense fifty-eight layers of vampire suppression charms. That was a shitload of charms, but not enough to keep her down. Her stepmother had taught her about charms and she was sure she could break through all the layers in ten minutes, which was already shorter than the time she had spent captured. 

However, Zero had no intention of going anywhere, which was why she wasn’t even bothering with trying.  

To be honest, she’d made a couple of plans.  

Plan A was to go along with whatever Yuuki demanded until they had gotten to the source, and then take them out in one go. Quick and easy. 

Plan B had been beating up Yuuki, interrogating her and then demanding her to take her to whoever was helping her to beat them up as well. It costed a little more time and energy, but it would have gotten the job done. 

Plan C... 

Well, to be honest, she hadn’t had a plan C. At least not until she saw a little girl surrounded by hungry Es. She’d made quick work of the fallen humans with rose and had pushed the little girl aside when the dome had come down on her. Plan C had been sucked out of her thumb right then and there. It was similar to plan A, but only without Yuuki taking her to the source. She had a feeling the Kuran princess would be there anyways, so nothing was lost. 

Now she only needed to figure out where ‘there’ was, so she would be able to find her way back home when she had cleaned up.  

If she was still alive by that time.  

Strong as she may be, she knew she was up against two purebloods and she was being realistic. There was a possibility that she wouldn’t be walking away from this. But she was fine with that. She had made peace with her death a long time ago. 

Or at least she thought she had. 

Looking down at the ring on her finger, stopping herself from unconsciously twisting it around the base of her digits, she wondered why now of all times, his face popped into her mind, followed by others. 

Kaname, Kaito, Yagari, Kaien, Yuuya, Sayori, Busa, Shiki, Rima, Ruka, Kain, Takuma, Seiren. 

She closed her eyes and sighed, folding her hand over her ring. 

She’d made too many attachments. 

Perhaps it was time to cut some off them loose. 

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

Zero blinked out of her meditation as she heard a hatch open, looking to her side to see an injection on a long stick approach her. She narrowed her eyes at the silver substance inside the injected before deciding against drawing away from it. She doubted she would be let out of this cage if she didn’t allow them to inject her with what she assume to be a tranquilizer. The needle sank into her side before the substance was pushed into her, burning as it flowed through her bloodstream. 

So, not a tranq, but a drug. 

She had to admit, it would work better. 

Correctly, it would have worked better on any pureblood that wasn’t her.  

She knew this drug, knew what it was used for and what it did. She recognized the lack of muscle-control and the decreased attention-span. She had expected the fuzzy vision and difficulty to keep her eyes open. She had read about this in her ancestor’s diary and knew that the euphoric feeling that followed was addictive. It would take longer for the feeling to reach her brain because it hadn’t been injected into a main blood-stream, but she realized the cage wouldn’t open until she was well and truly under the influence of the drug. She couldn’t do anything about her slack muscles or blurry vision, but because she knew about the effects the drug had on her mind, she could prepare herself for it. It wouldn’t neutralize the effects immediately, but it would help her resist them if she found something to keep her tied to reality. This was why making drugs that worked on purebloods was so hard, and why her ancestor had included it in her diary, something Zero was currently grateful for. It allowed her to be aware and thinking when the dome around her finally opened. 

There was no Yuuki in sight, only minions who helped her out of the cage. Their eyes were pitch black and the grey veins spread across every patch of skin that was visible, all the way up to their jaws, made it obvious that they were doped up until they could no longer think for themselves, following the orders they had been given. The orders were what kept them moving, but the drugs were what kept them alive. The lack of drugs would kill them quicker than Zero could, and it disgusted her. These puppets had all been human before, reduced to nothing but this on a pureblood’s whim, unable to remember the people mourning for them. Zero knew they had them, because she recognized them from missing person files. Someone in their lives cared enough to look for them, yet they remained unaware of their grief, balancing on a tight rope between life and death instead. 

What you could call life anyway. Zero would rather die from torture than move about the same way the minions did.  

Considering the room she was deposited in after being stripped from the set of daggers she’d carried on her instead of the combat armour she’d been told to leave behind, that might just be the choice she would be forced to make. 

It was obvious that she was in a basement, the temperature and the sudden descent a minute before she’d been injected with drugs had told her as much. The room in itself also was somewhat of a give-away, grey and made of concrete with thick walls to support the weight that rested on top of the room. The thicker the walls, the more weight it carried, and judging by how long the entrance to the room had been, there was a shitload of weight above their heads. It wouldn’t surprise her if there was a mansion build on top of this, or perhaps even a church. Whatever it was, it would belie the presence of a torture room, which she was sure this was. The set-up of a single chair in the middle of an undecorated room was customary for an area with that goal. Not every torture room had heavy chains to tie prisoners down but this one had, the shackles heavy around the Hio princess’s wrists. 

She did not hear the sound of footsteps until the door creaked open, the sight of two people both surprising and not surprising her. 

Yuuki was not a surprise, she had known about that from the start. But the other? He came as a surprise and she mentally scolded herself for that fact. As president of the hunter’s association, she shouldn’t have been surprised by this. 

“You surprise me. I had not expected to see you” Zero admitted as looked at the two purebloods in front of her, one glaring at her as if she’d killed her entire family and the other looking pleased. “Ougi Karube-san.” 

“I hope it is a pleasant surprise, my lady” the head of the Ougi bloodline responded as he made a bow, polite and respectfully as if the person before him wasn’t drugged and chained to a chair. 

“I can’t say it is” the silverette retorted calmly, watching as he straightened up, his eyes narrowing fondly at her, as if she’d said something endearing. She wondered how long he would be able to keep it up.  

“I knew I didn’t like you from the start” she said bluntly. At first, it had been his gaudy appearance and his flashy gestures, but after the first words they’d exchanged, she only gotten more uncomfortable around him. She hadn’t been able to put her finger on what it had been and had thought it were his mannerisms that got on her nerves, along with his obtrusiveness. She hadn’t thought about him being the pureblood behind all this, his tackiness making her unwilling to think about him at all. She should have known better. 

“That’s too bad, because I decided from the start that you are my fiancée” Karube said, his smile filled with self-importance and hunger. Alright, so he was delusional. That would explain the theatrical personality and the ostentatious sense of fashion that made Zero want to gag. She’d thought he only dressed so showy for special occasions, but apparently he was stuck in time and had dragged Yuuki with him. Perhaps they’d gone so far back in time, to the period where men did the talking and women spoke not a work, communicating only through looks, because Yuuki’s glare was saying a lot more than her mouth was. 

“I even gave you something like this as a present. I revived your clan for you” the man added as he gestured at the puppets standing around them with a dead look in their eyes. Even zombies in stories were more alive. Zero drew her eyes away from both Yuuki and the minions, leveling the pureblood in front of her with a cold look. 

“You gave me more work, that’s what you did” she said before narrowing her eyes. “And what do you mean, you revived my clan? I can see their goddamned weapons sticking out everywhere. The whole point about hidden weapons is that the weapons are hidden, you idiot.” 

This man’s face was thick, she’d give him that. He continued to smile even despite Zero’s hostility, seeing the positive side of things. 

“Then you can go train them from now on, my beloved, until they are true masters you can be proud of” he assured her and the huntress scoffed as she narrowed her eyes, reigning in the urge to throw herself at him and strangle him with the chains dangling from her wrists. As much as she wanted to, she knew she was not in any condition to do anything. She was only barely regaining feeling in her fingertips, aware of the tingles that were withdrawing from her digits even when she didn’t move them. She could clean him up later, after she had regained full control of her body. 

“The only thing I’ll teach them is how to take a long walk off a short pier with an anchor tied to their ankles” she said before tilting her head, though it was more of a ‘letting it fall to the side’ kind of movement. Not that it mattered. Only her smirk did.  

“Why don’t you show them how to do it” she suggested kindly, hearing the man laugh. The sound was tight even when he tried to make it sound genuinely amused. His face was showing cracks. Zero commended him for lasting this long. Yuuki looked just about ready to blow up, her face turning somewhat red, as if she was holding her breath not to scream at the silverette. Knowing her, she probably was. 

“Come now, no need to be so murderous” Karube said, his hands folded behind his back while Zero raised an eyebrow at him.  

“Murderous? You think this is me being murderous?” she asked before barking a laugh, one that was not reflected in a smile, not even a bloodthirsty one. Instead, she directed a frosty look at him. 

“Boy, this is me being relaxed on a good day. Give me a little while to work off this drug you gave me and I can show you murderous on a good day if that’s what you want. Because I can assure you that you won’t survive even a second of murderous on a bad day” she said. It wasn’t even a threat, but a statement. One the blonde pureblood didn’t appreciate hearing, if the twitch of his eyebrow was anything to go by. 

“I can always give you another dose” he said, clearly giving up on trying to reason with her for now, instead threatening her. This was proof that he did not see her as a person but as a possession. He didn’t like the fact that she had an own will and her own thoughts. Thoughts that did not overlap with his. He hated the fact that she was talking back to him and denying him. But honestly, had he really expected her to drop down to her knees in front of him, worshipping him and crying about how happy she was that he had picked her to be his fiancée? 

Never mind, it was exactly what he had expected. It was what the vampire society taught him was what would happen. 

Aristocrats might have nourished and justified his delusions, but Zero sure as hell wasn’t going to. 

“You’re free to try, but come close enough with that needle and I'll send you to kingdom come” she said before directing her eyes to the shackles locked around her wrists pointedly. “Don’t forget that you’re the one who put weapons on me.” 

“You’re impossible to deal with” Karube said with a sigh, giving up on trying to convince her of how right he was and how unreasonable she was being.  

“I would have been a lot more reasonable if I wasn’t in this position and you hadn’t had the blood of so many innocents on your hands, but it is what it is” Zero said calmly, hearing the man sigh before he turned around, walking towards the door. 

“Perhaps you’ll change your mind in a little while” he said regretfully, truly having expected Zero would have jumped at the opportunity to become his wife. 

“You’re right, I might” the Hio princess said, looking up to meet his gaze before hers hardened. “I haven’t decided on how to kill you yet. Perhaps I'll get some better ideas than the cliché cut throat or ripped out heart if I'm here a little while longer.” 

“Yuuki-hime, please look after my beloved for a while” the blonde pureblood said as he turned away, the shiver she caught running down his spine revealing that her threat had reached him.  

“Perhaps familiar company will loosen her up” he suggested before closing the heavy door behind him, leaving Zero alone with a handful of vampires who had lost their sanity. The level E’s to their bloodthirst and then a second time to drugs, and Yuuki to her blood.  

“Do you have any idea what situation you are in?” the Kuran princess asked as she walked over to the silverette with the elegance and subtility of a bulldozer. If she continued to glare like she did, Zero was sure that sooner or later, Yuuki would invent laser eyes and become the first person to successfully shoot laser beams from her eyes, killing someone with a look.  

“That’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? And?” the huntress asked before narrowing her eyes sharply? “Do you expect me to cower in fear just because I’ve been drugged and tied to a chair? I’ve been in this situation before when I was five, and it didn’t impress me much back then either. Why would it now?” 

“You’re stepping way out of line, Zero. It would be in your best interest to remember who you are talking to” Yuuki snarled. Zero’s position in this moment might be inferior, but regardless of how hard the Kuran princess was glaring at her, she would still be no more than a chihuahua trying to take on a bull mastiff trained for the fighting cages. Or perhaps Cerberus was a better comparison. 

“Who I am talking to?” Zero asked mockingly, her voice colder than hell frozen over, her bangs shadowing her eyes. 

“Are you seriously saying that?” she asked before glaring up, causing Yuuki to flinch back a step despite herself. 

“Who do you think you are?” the Hio princess asked, watching the brunette bristle insulted, her expression twisting from fear into anger. Her head clipped to the side as a small hand connected with her cheek, hard enough to make her skin throb from the impact. 

“Who do I think I am? Just how much of my precious blood did you drink?! That makes me your master! You belong to me” Yuuki answered, raising her voice. However, it was not her volume or the hit that made the silverette twitch, but her words. Clearly, the Kuran princess had not stopped seeing her as a human, or a transitioning vampire threatening to fall to level E without her, instead of the pureblood the huntress was. She believed herself to be better and above the silverette, looking down at her. 

“That is the last time I will ever allow you to hit me” Zero warned, the tone of her voice sub-zero as she straightened her head. If Yuuki had been any smarter, she would have realized what this meant. But as it was, she was too intimidated by the older princess to think about every one of her actions. 

“And what master? If everyone I ever drank blood from is my master, both Yuuya and Busa would be my master as well. As would Kaname” she said and Yuuki took a step forward again, her eyes blazing and her upper lip pulled back to reveal her fangs. She looked like she wanted to hit the silverette again, but was too scared to do so, knowing Zero didn’t make empty threats. 

“You are stepping way out of line, Zero!” she said, her aura lashing out when she couldn’t do so physically. “You belong to me! You are my servant! You have no right to call Kaname-sama so familiarly! You had no right to seduce my fiancé and commit the worst kind of betrayal!” 

“Aa, it’s the worst kind of betrayal, I’ll give you that” Zero said cold and unimpressed, not even bothering to glance at the cracks that appeared in the concrete around the Kuran pureblood. 

“However, you have no right to punish me for it. To seduce someone, the other has to be interested. To get together with someone, you need to be with two. If you had paid more attention to your fiancé, you wouldn’t have lost him to me” Zero pointed out and heard the brunette screech, surging forward to assault her. This was what the huntress had provoked her into doing, so she had no effort lifting both her feet to block Yuuki’s flailing hands to stop her from clawing out lavender eyes. Using the contact, the silverette pushed off and flipped over her chair, the chains rattling loudly as she landed on her feet. Without missing a beat, she hooked her foot underneath the iron chain and kicked it up. It would have connected with Yuuki’s face if she had been any slower, but even if she was quick enough to side-step the projectile, she was too slow to dodge the chain that hit her in the back of the knee when Zero pulled on it. She buckled slightly through her knees, not enough to fall but enough to fly back when Zero’s shin connected with her chest in a high kick. 

The wall kept up partially when Yuuki flew back into it, crumbling underneath her but not giving out entirely. The ground wasn’t as fortunate, protesting but unable to stop the huntress from pulling the chains from the bolts that connected them to the ground. 

“Come on. I know it takes more than that to knock you down. You’re not half as weak as you pretend to be, so get up” Zero said, testing the weight of her shackles as Yuuki twitched where she was slumped against the wall. With a sigh, the Kuran pureblood rose to her feet, brushing the dust and pebbles off her shoulders and arms without looking up at the silverette. 

“There’s no fooling you, is there” she said dryly and the Hio princess leveled her with a deadpan look. 

“Who do you think trained you? That wasn’t just to handle Artemis, remember” she said, remaining in place as garnet eyes looked up at her, calm and collected, remining her of Kaname before she had joined the night-class. Now she was finally facing Yuuki and not either of the acts she had put up ever since she had awakened. Yuuki wasn’t oblivious nor was she as impulsive as she pretended to be. She was a Kuran through and through, and it was in their blood to be manipulative and calculative, in the same way Hio’s tended to lose some of their marbles as they grew older. 

“What will you do now? Kill me?” the brunette asked and Zero regarded her silently. 

“I didn’t back when I stopped you from feeding on that human at the beach and that was my mistake. I have no intention of making the same mistake twice” she said and Yuuki raised an eyebrow at her, walking closer with purposeful steps. 

“You can pretend to hate me as much as you like, but you can’t truly bring yourself to do so. You’re too soft-hearted, Zero, and that is your weakness” Yuuki said, saying nothing but the truth as she circled the silverette who remained where she was, not even bothering to follow the brunette with her eyes. Zero wished she could deny her words, that she would have been able to cut the smaller woman out of her life. But she hadn’t been able to, regardless of how much she had rejected the other on the surface. 

“Deep down, you still see me as your sister. I know you do” Yuuki said, amusement and a challenge audible in her voice as she walked around the older girl. “Tell me, Zero. Can you really bring yourself to kill your sister?” 

“You seem to forget something, Yuuki” the huntress said, looking up from her chains to the wall before her, where a dent was left after Yuuki had crashed into it. 

“I have already killed my own mother and my blood-related brother with my own two hands” she said before looking over her shoulder at the Kuran princess who narrowed her eyes at her. 

“Surely you cannot believe yourself to be more special to me than the woman who bore me and the man I have loved for better part of my life, and have continued to love regardless of anything he has put me through” Zero asked before twisting her hands, grabbing a hold of the chains. 

“This is not about whether or not I can bring myself to kill you. I have no other choice” she said, and she really didn’t. She was the president of the Vampire hunter’s association. She couldn’t allow a threat like Yuuki to walk around any longer, not after she had broken the peace pact between the two races that was build upon the hard-and-fast rule of not harming humans and not turning them. 

Besides, if she didn’t do it, Kaname would. 

And that was something she couldn’t allow him to do. 

Like she had said before, she had already dyed her hands with the blood of her family. A little more wouldn’t make a difference. 

Kaname might have killed Rido, who was also a descendant of his, but Yuuki was different. He had grown up with Yuuki as a siblings as much as Zero had, and for a long time, he had loved Yuuki as his fiancée. She couldn’t force Kaname into dying his hands with her blood. 

“Kaname will hate you if you kill me and forever is a long time for purebloods like us” Yuuki said as she reached for her thigh underneath her skirt, retrieving a bo staff similar to Artemis, who she could no longer wield. Not after it had acknowledged Zero as its new owner. Part of the silverette entertained the idea that it might possibly be because it was her father’s heart that currently fed the furnace and thus the anti-vampire weapons, but she didn’t dwell on it for long. After all, Yuuki still had the ability to touch and wield anti-vampire weapons, but didn’t because Kaname didn’t trust her enough to do so. With no-one else to wield it, Artemis might have chosen her because she was the only option left. If she could wield a wild horse like Bloody rose, Artemis wasn’t a problem either. However, she had left both anti-vampire weapons at home. She hadn’t wanted to risk them falling into the hands of her enemy, even if she hadn’t known who it had been back then. 

“That might very well be the case, and what of it?” Zero asked as she watched the pureblood finish her circle around her, stopping in front of her. 

“I’d be happy to spend my life in seclusion if Kaname allows me to live. And if he decides to kill me for killing you, I don’t mind. We both know the last thing I am afraid of is death and I would welcome it with open arms. I have very little left to live for anyway” she reminded the younger princess, who was not please with the reminder, her aura lashing out with enough force to crack the ground underneath her feet. Zero let loose her own aura, for once not restraining it and letting it flow free to meet Yuuki’s head-on. As their auras clashed, it was obvious that the room they were in would not hold out. The ground was nearly entire cracked, the fissures running up the walls and fracturing the ceiling. Zero couldn’t care less about it. Usually, she tried to reign in her aura as much as possible, always trying to be as less destructive as she possibly could be, because she knew there was always someone near. Someone she needed to protects, someone she needed to look after. But this time, there wasn’t. That was why she had come alone. 

There was no-one in this base that needed to walk away. 

Her eyes started glowing, her blood roaring in her veins, burning with adrenaline, reveling in how freeing it was to just let go of all her restraints. Fog flowed from her, her aura materializing in a layer of dense white mist that crawled across the floor, slowly filling the room as if a tab had been turned open. 

It was obvious she was not the only one enjoying the lack of restrictions. 

Yuuki’s eyes were glowing just as brightly, a feral glint dancing in her gaze as she regarded the Hio princess before her. Thin strings of blood flowed from her back, weaving into large wings behind her, reminiscent of a butterfly. The sight send a pang of hurt through Zero’s chest but professionalism allowed her to disregard it. This was not the time to pity the girl for the curse she had been born with, unable to stand in the sun like she longed to do. Instead, she reached over her shoulders, her fingers locking around the sections of the Guandao she had hidden on her back, clicking them together as she moved the sections over her head. Yuuki looked shocked only for a second at the sight of the spinning weapon before she huffed, an amused smile curling her lips as Zero moved the staff behind her back, pointing the blade at the ground next to her. 

“Why does it not surprise me that you still have tricks up your sleeve?” she asked and the Hio princess regarded the brunette blankly. 

“Did you really think those wannabe-hidden weapon users could detect anything on a master’s body when they don’t want them to? I handed them the daggers they collected” she responded, not mentioning anything about the other weapons she was carrying. Just because she wasn’t wearing her armor, didn’t mean she couldn’t carry any weapons. Yuuki’s lack of surprise was proof that she had expected the huntress to do something like this, but she hadn’t mentioned it to Ougi, which meant that she had likely fooled him with her acts as well. 

Man, she was nearly as good as Shizuka had been. 

A pebble falling from the crumbling ceiling passed in between them, it’s contact with the ground forming the start-signal that caused both princesses to blur out of vision. Both of them knew that the other wouldn’t have made the first move, so they had silently decided to use to little rock as cue to break the stand-off that could have lasted days for Zero’s patience in the eye of tension was endless and Yuuki’s pride was too high for her to be the first one to crack. 

A hand forming a spear-point pierced through Zero’s shoulder at the same time the silverette’s blade sliced through half of Yuuki’s chest. Garnet red eyes were locked with lavender orbs as black butterflies and bright pink peach blossom petals drifted around them, originating from the wounds that would have been inflicted if their bodies had been any less resilient. The silverette narrowed her eyes at the twinge of red she caught on the butterflies swarming around her, listening to her instincts when they told her to avoid them as best as she could while she leaped back to put place between her and the Kuran princess. 

“Impressive. Not only did you spy on me when I was training a new form of defense, you also added an attack to it” Zero complimented as she raised her hand, licking away the line of blood running down her wrist from where the wing of a butterfly had touched her skin. Yuuki lifted the sides of her floor-length skirt with a smile, making a dramatic bow. 

“I thank you for your kind words. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if I hadn’t seen you use your petals to cut through a boulder” she admitted, a cut in her skirt proof of where the Hio princess’s blade had nicked the skin of her thigh. 

“No, no. All credit goes to you for thinking of it. How did you do it? Like this?” Zero asked, controlling the petals that had floated around the area where they had connected with a push of her mind, slicing them down at the younger pureblood’s back. Yuuki barely managed to avoid the petals, only to step straight into the swing of Zero’s blade. Her wings wrapped around her like a protective cocoon before she burst apart in countless butterflies, materializing partially behind the silverette who had expected the attack and swung out the end of her staff, pushing away the brunette’s wrist before it was followed up by a round-house kick that connected with Yuuki’s cheek. The huntress’s eyes fell on the blood that trailed down the end of her staff, watching how it weaved into the shape of a butterfly. She was forced to abandon her weapon when she had to make the choice between the guandao or her arm. However, even before the cut up pieces of her weapon touched the ground, her fingers were wrapped around the hilt of a jiang that she held behind her back, the blade following her spine while the tip pointed up behind her head.  

Yuuki preferred to fight from a distance and she was good at it, desperately keeping Zero, who excelled in every type of combat, on a good distance. However, distance meant that the room was too small to contain their fight, crumbling around them without either of the princesses paying any attention to it. It did draw the attention of everyone at the base that was located underneath Ougi’s mansion, drawing them towards the scene.  

“What are you waiting for?! Do something, you idiots! Contain Zero!” Ougi ordered his mini-army of doped up minions, who promptly got cut to ribbons when they got too close to the silverette. Yuuki didn’t bother stopping them from interfering in their fight, but they didn’t pose much of a challenge to Zero either. Not when she did not have to think about anything but cleaning up the trash. The blonde pureblood clearly had not been expecting there to be this much of a difference between a true master and the vampires he had created, and it didn’t please him either. 

“I’ll do it myself, then” he grumbled and Zero gave him a short glance, watching him disappear. Relying on her senses, she ducked down in a crouch to avoid the hand reaching out to grab her by the nape, sweeping out her leg in a kick as she placed her hand on the ground to step over her head. Her heel sailed through empty air but Yuuki’s hand before her did as well as she arched her spine back. Facing off against two purebloods at the same time was tough, but it saved Zero some time, so she wasn’t going to complain. Karube’s abilities were troublesome though, making her grimace as she watched a perfect clone rise from his blood she had just spilled with one of the daggers she had thrown. The clone didn’t share the pureblood’s full powers, which was fortunate, but half of them still gave Zero enough trouble, especially when the clones had the same ability as well. Seeing a smug smile on fourteen of the man’s clones irritated the silverette, but he was old enough to have erased all of his weaknesses, which meant that he was allowed to be confident in his skills. 

Then again, there was a reason Zero had absolute faith in her skills as well. 

“Hio Zero. I will give you once chance to sur-” 

“I refuse” the Hio princess cut the older pureblood off, flicking the blood off her arm. She had figured ripping out the man’s heart would have solved the problem, but the blonde had proven that the most troublesome part of his skill was his ability to switch his heart between his clones, turning his real body into a clone and a clone into his real body. If she wanted to have any chance at getting rid of this guy, she would need to take out all the bodies at once, so he could not transfer his heart, but without spilling even a single drop of blood. That would be difficult, especially considering she had been trained to draw as much blood as possible. However, that didn’t mean she didn’t have a plan, though it would consume quite a bit of her energy. Then again, she was facing two purebloods at once. She had not expected anything different. 

Lavender eyes closed in order to concentrate, mist rolling off her in thick waves, adding layer upon layer on the fog that had formed a blanket on the floor, until the entire area was flooded from ground to sky.  

“You know hiding has no use, Zero. Your blood has dried on your skin and you’ve called us sharks countless times. We will be able to smell you from miles away” Yuuki reminded Zero, no longer bothering to hold up her act in front of her partner in crime. She knew that whatever happened there, at least one of them was losing their life during the confrontation. 

“Not to mention that I am connected with all of my clones. It is useless to try and make me lose sight of them, since visual is not the only thing I rely on to transfer my heart” Ougi added but that was not at all what Zero was going for. Yes, she needed to hide, but not for any of the reasons they were thinking of. She had noticed early on that Ougi didn’t need to make eye-contact with a clone in order to transfer his heart and Yuuki was instinctual enough to find her through the smell of her blood since she was somewhat obsessed with it. Trying to hide for those reasons would be a waste of energy and something she couldn’t be bothered with doing. The mist she created was only partially to hide, so she could focus undisturbed on locating every clone, the original body and the Kuran princess. If she wanted to stop the blonde pureblood from transferring his heart, she needed to take away the clones at once without giving him the time to create a new one, which was three seconds as she had counted before. And to take out Yuuki, she needed to take away her visual since she relied on long distance combat, which was useless if you were unable to see further than your hand. 

The sound of ominous creaking was the one warning the two purebloods received, unable to see the saplings that had sprouted at their feet and grew into large branches on a breakneck speed, thick branches coiling around their limbs and continuing to grow until their bodies were lifted off the ground and raised into the air, suspended from the branches as if they were crucified. Before either of them could try to get out with either their telekinesis or another trick they had up their sleeves, a single branch shot cleanly through their hearts. With Yuuki, only a single branch was sufficient, but with Ougi, the branches sprouted into several directions, piercing his heart too many times to recover from. Peach blossom petals wrapped themselves around the organ, until not a drop of blood could fall out of the cocoon they formed around the vampire’s core.  

“Z-Zero” Yuuki’s voice resounded weakly while Karube could do little other than gurgle. With few calming breaths, the Hio princess allowed the fog to disperse. Not entirely, but enough so she could see the younger girl who had called out to her. A trail of blood dribbled down the brunette’s chin, a thick branch sticking through her chest. If it hadn’t been for the wood, she would have slumped over into the hold of the gnarly tree that had sprouted. 

“I’m - I’m sorry” the Kuran princess managed to push out around a cough, her eyes watering as she lowered her head shamefully. 

“I- I never meant for it to come this far, I swear. I was just so scared” the brunette admitted, closing her eyes as if she couldn’t bear to look at the older girl stopping in front of her. She coughed again, spitting up some more blood to coat the branch sticking through her chest before she looked up. The tears that had wobbled in the corners of her eyes finally lost their balance and toppled down her cheeks. 

“Everything was so overwhelming. The sensations, the sounds, the blood-lust. It was too much. I couldn’t handle it” she said, her shoulders shaking with a sob she did not want to let out. 

“I was so afraid of what I had become, I didn’t know what to do” she said before biting her lip and letting her head hang down. 

“I’m afraid to die. I don’t want to die” she admitted shakily as her shoulders continued to shake, causing the silverette to take a step closer, a furrow pulling her brows together as she felt her chest squeeze slightly. The other’s name had barely fallen off her lips when the sobs turned into laughter. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just can’t” Yuuki said before looking up, cracks running up her cheek towards her eyes, glowing faintly as she looked at Zero with an expression full of pity and sadistic amusement. 

“Gosh, I can’t believe you fell for that! What is wrong with you?” she asked with a shake of her head as Zero let out a soft sigh. 

“I wonder about that myself” she admitted, controlling the branches with a push of her mind and causing them to rip the Kuran princess apart, shattering her into a million pieces of glass shards that glimmered in the moonlight overhead. Zero heaved another soft sigh as she looked up at the sky, reaching up a hand to touch her chest, reaching out for Ichiru’s fading presence to draw comfort from it. Another sibling she had killed with her own hands, regardless of how much she had changed and how much she had deserved to die for her actions.  

“Zero!” 

“Zero?! Where are you?!” 

“You stupid idiot! Get your lone-wolf ass out here so I can beat it!”  

The huntress’ eyebrow twitched at Aidou’s voice that rang out last, looking over her shoulder in the direction of the voices of Kaname’s inner circle, the people she had come to call friends. She knew that for them to be there, Sayori must have cracked and told them, realizing that Zero was her friend and not her master like Yuuki and that the silverette had no hold over her whatsoever. Zero wasn’t sure whether to be glad about it or not, since it had brought the entire inner circle to the place she had not wanted them to be. But, since they were already there, there was no point in sending them back. The trash was cleaned up anyway. That didn’t mean she couldn’t make them piss their pants a little over disregarding her good intentions. 

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” she asked as she stepped out of the fog, thickening the mist again to hide the horror-scene she had created. There were no bodies left, but blood was still spread all over the place. She couldn’t hide the smell, but she sure as hell would hide the sight. 

“What the hell are we doing here? What the hell are you doing here, flying solo?! Did you really think you could handle two purebloods on your own?!” Ruka snapped at her with her hands in her hips, disappointing the silverette when she remembered her glares had little effect on them anymore. However, that was just a fleeting thought when she took in their states, seeing small cuts that smelled definitely of their blood, and seeing more blood that didn’t belong to them. 

“The hell happened? Is everyone alright? How are your injuries?” she asked as she stepped forward, her exhaustion taking the background to her worry that was quickly waved off by Kain. 

“We ran into a group of hidden weapon users and we were held up a little, but don’t worry. Our injuries aren’t life-threatening and we were okay after sitting for a short while” he assured her but Aidou and Ruka weren’t as forgiving or understanding of her worry. 

“Why the hell are you worrying about us?! You’re the one who took off on your own to take on two purebloods and whatever army had been created!” Aidou snapped while Shiki had stepped up to Zero, holding up his wrist with a frown. 

“Do you need some blood to recover?” he asked carefully and Zero blinked at him before pushing down his wrist gently. 

“I don’t. What about you? Do you need some? There’s a nasty gash on your forehead” she pointed out, carefully touching the mentioned gash before she directed her attention to Takuma, who was being held up by Rima and Kain, a bit of the flesh on his leg dangling down in an open wound. 

“And you, sit down. You don’t have a choice in the matter” she snapped at him, her voice much harsher than the lingering touch on the redhead’s skin, telling him she would get back to him after she was done with that idiot blonde and steadfastly ignoring any protests as she lifted her wrist to her mouth and ripped into the skin with her teeth. Takuma tried to resist as she crouched down next to where Kain and Rima had placed him on the ground, but Zero wouldn’t hear it and all but shoved her wrist into his mouth. As soon as she was sure the green-eyed aristocrat was drinking, she turned her attention to Sayori, who was looking guiltily at the ground. 

“Did you tell him as well?” she asked, not even needing to mention a name for her to know who she was talking about. 

“No, I didn’t” the rose-blonde answered firmly but the shift in the air warned them about another presence. Or a the very least, it warned her. 

“But she didn’t need to either” Kaname’s voice came as a flurry of bats gathered together a little distance from them, slowly forming the figure of the Kuran ancestor, his eyes directed at Zero after giving his friends a glance to make sure they were alright. “Because I know you.” 

When Takuma released her wrist with a grateful look, Zero couldn’t answer it, unable to take her eyes off her lover as she rose to her feet. What was she supposed to say now? She couldn’t deny what had happened since the scent of Yuuki’s blood was still in the air and Kaname was not stupid. So what was she supposed to say at this point? An apology didn’t even enter her mind because killing one’s family was not something any apology, no matter how grand or how sincere, could fix. Besides, in this situation, were words really necessary? 

Zero blinked in surprise when she felt hands on her jaw, fingers resting against the base of her nape while thumbs pushed up her chin, lips fixed onto hers. On instinct more than anything else, the silverette responded to the kiss that deepened even before she had returned the affection. She reached up her hands to place them on Kaname’s chest, intent to push him away and put a stop to this very public display of affection, but the man was immovable, relaxing his grip on her only when she gave up with a sigh through her nose. Perhaps, for the last time, she could allow herself to enjoy the love he was freely giving her. 

“Stop thinking like that” Kaname said as he pulled back, as if he’d been able to read her mind. His forehead rested against hers, his hands continuing to cradle her head as if she was made of precious porcelain. His eyes bore into hers, his face close enough to hers to make their lips brush together in a featherlight touch with every word he spoke. If he’d been any less in control of himself and his expressions, his face would have been pinched up in pain, something that shocked the silverette. 

“I could never hate you” the Kuran ancestor told her. 

“I could never leave you” he added. 

“I can’t, won’t live without you” he promised. 

“I love you” he whispered. 

Zero wasn’t quite sure how fast her heart was supposed to beat before it would burst out of her chest, but it seemed like she was well on the way to test it out. Her fingers trembled where they rested against his chest, the breath she took in shook on its way into her lungs as she closed her eyes. 

Apparently, yes, words were really necessary. 

“Let’s leave” Kaname said softly, causing lavender eyes to shoot open again. She met his gaze, seeing his determination in his eyes and no longer doubting what she had heard. How tempting it sounded. To just leave everything behind and start anew, without the pressure of the entire world resting on their shoulders. How lovely it would be. 

“We can’t. I’ve got the Hunter’s association and you’ve got the council” Zero pointed out as she closed her eyes, feeling exhausted down to the marrow of her bones. 

“Fuck’em” the Kuran king said resolutely, “We’ve suffered enough for them and for this world. It’s time they put in some work as well.” 

Zero did not have a chance to reply, whether it was yes or no, before she felt a surge of power from the man before her, feeling the bats swirl around her feet and threaten to just fly her away if she didn’t separate into petals.  

 

***~*~*~*~*~***  

 

The forest was eerily quiet, surrounded by a thick fog that weaved through the trees, forming a dome around the mansion hidden away in the ominous forest. The place that used to be undisturbed by even the slightest noise, was currently full of serenity and lively energy. A black wolf and a cream saluki were laying down on the porch that ran around the entire mansion, a young man sitting next to them, sipping from a cup of tea with his lover sitting next to him, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the few rays of sun that were able to break through the fog barrier that secluded them from the outside world. 

“Zero! Kaname!” a young voice called out to the duo sitting on the porch, drawing their attention to the albino teen that walked up to them, holding up a letter. 

“There was a letter stuck to a tree at the base of the forest. It's pretty official looking” Heine said as he walked up to the two, sitting down next to the woman who had all but adopted him before handing over the letter. 

“Usually purebloods come find us to kill them instead of leaving behind a letter, so I don’t think it’s from a pureblood” he said and the silver-haired woman next to him smiled faintly as a subtle scent drifted up into her nose. 

“It’s not from a pureblood, you are right” she told him, reaching up a hand to pat the seventeen-year-old's head even when he grumbled about it. 

“Looks like they are finally tying the knot” Zero said as she handed over the letter to her fiancé without bothering to open it. She recognized the handwriting spelling out their names and knew what it was for. 

“About time. Sayori-san has married into the Aidou family ten years ago and she’s already pregnant with their second” Kaname said, a pleased smile on his lips as he opened the letter to read the contents, just to confirm their suspicions. 

“Looks like we’ll be wearing formal clothing once more” the brown-haired pureblood said fondly, causing Heine to blink in confusion. 

“We’re going down the mountain?” he asked and Zero hummed as she looked at him. 

“It has been a while since we re-joined society, but this wedding is not something we can pass up. It took Kain much too long to propose to Ruka. But you don’t have to come, if you are not comfortable with it” she assured the boy, remembering how he’d clung to her skirt when they had gone down the mountain for Sayori and Hanabusa’s wedding a decade ago, a year after going into seclusion. It had been a hard decision to make for both of them considering how punishingly self-sacrificing they were in order to achieve the peace the world desperately needed. Ever since they had been born, they had never really done anything for themselves and after a month, they had planned to return to their life before, thinking of their time in seclusion as a holiday that had come to an end. But none of their friends had allowed them to return. Kaito had taken over as president as the hunter’s association and had threatened with putting a hit on their heads if he found them working ever again. Takuma had taken up Kaname’s role in the vampire council and had just smiled at Kaname when the man had come face to face with him, though the threat he had made had been anything but nice. 

Long story short, regardless of how much society needed and wanted them, their friends had forbidden them from taking any more weight on their shoulders. 

Peace and quiet was something that had needed time for them to get used to, but they could appreciate it now and enjoyed every minute they spend together. However, returning to society every once in a while was not a bad thing. 

Heine seemed to think it was, though. 

“As long as I don’t have to wear a monkey-suit, I’ll be fine. Don’t treat me like a little kid” the young vampire said, causing both purebloods to raise an eyebrow at him. The boy had come rather far, mellowing out from the murderous little ball of rage he had been after Yuuki had infected him. He was still rather hostile to unfamiliar people, especially vampires, but Kaname only found it amusing, comparing him to Zero rather often in a way that made the albino flush. 

“I’ll tell Aguri to prepare a kimono for you then” the silverette said, causing the young vampire to frown. 

“Wait, I don’t want to be the only one to wear traditional! Just leave out the tie and make the shirt a little baggier and I’ll deal with it!” he exclaimed, knowing how Ruka nagged at Yuuya for refusing to wear anything but traditional. Heine, unlike Yuuya and like every normal teenager, was very self-conscious about how people looked at him. Kaname more often found it cute and something to tease him for, which ended up with a flushed albino who stomped away grumbling. This time was no different. 

“You weren’t this immature a decade ago” Zero said and Kaname hummed as he wrapped his arms around his fiancée’s obi-wrapped waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as they watched their adoptive son for all intents and purposes walk into the house, muttering to himself. 

“You’ve been training with him for the entire week, dusk to dawn. Today is my day to monopolize you” he said, causing the Hio princess to breath out an amused sniff through her nose. 

“You’re ridiculous” she said but leaned back into her lover none the less.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


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